Golden Sun: Defining Moment
by xT-Zealot
Summary: It can take a defining moment - whether it be tragic or joyful - that can truly bring a group together.  For the children of the Warriors of Vale, one such defining moment is the tragedy that they are responsible for.  Belinsk Spoilers. COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Golden Sun having once been the one thing responsible for me getting into fanfiction, of course it would be its latest sequel – Dark Dawn – that would bring me back to try and have another go with fanfiction. Having been to – and specifically the Golden Sun section -, when there had just been a Golden Sun section created, I had been driven to write. Unfortunately, having been like thirteen years old at the time, my writing kind of…sucked . I can admit it and I'm ashamed of it but I pretty much did everything that you should absolutely NOT do when it comes to fanfiction.

Not wanting to get into the details, let's just say that I learned. After deleting my shameful work and banishing myself to get better at grammar and the English language in general, I've decided to write up this piece after…*counts fingers*…eight years. I was a bit late to the party but at Christmas I was able to get myself a Nintendo DS and the latest copy of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Now, this little piece of work is pretty much where I am in the game right now; I've just finished Belinsk and now I'm off sailing the seas.

That said, for any people that decide to review, don't spoil anything . Type up your reviews but please don't spoil anything for me. I really love the game, I'm trying to get through it with minimum spoilers, but I just decided to write up this little number after the events at Belinsk inspired me to write. Of course, this little piece has spoilers of its own so people that haven't completed the game – or at least complete Belinsk -, read no further if you don't want to be spoiled!

Anyway, let's see what eight years of studying the English language has taught me. Let's do this! And as always, _Golden Sun _belongs to Camelot and yadda yadda yadda.

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_And I thought Tanglewood had been bad._

Clutching the hilt of his sword in a tight, two-handed grip, Matthew ventured out of the latest alley that he had navigated through. Pausing at the mouth, the Venus Adept stuck his head out and slowly scanned the area. The same sight that they had seen since the ascension of the Luna Tower was displayed before him: the darkness that had engulfed all of Belinsk.

It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for this fog. A dark, purplish color, the fog had come as suddenly as the darkness of the eclipse. What visibility that Matthew may've still been able to attain was utterly lost with this combination where buildings were nothing but wavy outlines while stairs and abandoned stands would appear as a sudden manifestation that had already tripped him twice. And there were the bodies too…

It reminded him of Tanglewood, the treacherous forest that had always been so close to where he had lived during his seventeen years of life but that which he had always been warned to stay away from. And he had done just that…until an impatient friend had taken the soarwing and crashed into its depths. When first venturing into the dark woods he had been similarly cut off guard when day switched to night. When the broken, bare trees and branches transformed into twisted, skeletal apparitions that seemed to want to reach out and pluck him away from the side of his father and drag him into the unknown. And he had seen exactly what the unknown could contain…such as a giant, carnivorous plant that wanted to devour them all, twisted into its monstrous form by the shadows.

Belinsk was a lot worse. Despite the kind of creatures that had thrived in the dark woods of Tanglewood, there had been something completely and utterly natural about it. Back then, Tanglewood had been the home of the shadows while they had been the trespassers. Belinsk, on the other hand…

_There had been people here,_ Matthew thought with growing unease as he stepped out of the alley, his steps slow and careful, the eyes that he had inherited from his mother looking about warily for any signs of trouble. _Beastmen but they were still people. They had been singing, laughing with friends and family. Just enjoying a festival like anyone else would._

Despite the thick fog, Matthew had nonetheless been trying to keep track of his position with a vague, mental map that he sought for now. He remembered upon leaving the castle that they had been planning on going to the pier to try to find a way to get out of Belinsk. A ship perhaps, certainly there had to have been one docked that they could've used. But then there had been Sveta and-

"_Ahh..."_

_The cry, surprised as it sounded, had been barely audible to the point of when Matthew had turned his head he wondered if he had been hearing things. But how Sveta slumped to her knees, her eyes wide and haunted, it soon proved that Matthew had certainly heard it. Despite not having been associated with her as long as Karis or Tyrell, Matthew had immediately gone to her side, dropping to a knee himself, an arm coming across her shoulders to offer both support and comfort to the sudden malady that seemed to hit her._

_"What's wrong, Sveta?" Kraden immediately spoke the question that Matthew had been about to ask, the old man hovering over the two._

_Sveta didn't reply immediately, the girl staring off into space and hardly seeming to notice the touch that Matthew offered her and the question. Though having known her for a short time, Matthew had already gotten the image of her as a calm, patient individual. Despite whatever insults and comments that the Venus Adept had heard spoken about beastmen during his travels, Sveta had always treated them with a politeness and patience that had held steadfast even against Tyrell's heated words. To see her so haunted startled him a little._

_The girl held her clawed hands to her head but otherwise she didn't make any kind of response to the two. It was then that Matthew felt a sensation that he realized was attuned to the usage of psynergy and a purple aura usually accustomed to that of the power of Jupiter briefly flared around Sveta. While this aura was usually as calm and tempered as its owner, however, Matthew could see fluctuations and sudden spikes that made the aura look erratic._

"_My Spirit Sense Psynergy," Sveta started, her voice trembling slightly, "is activating itself…without my will."_

_Matthew was only able to stare with deep concern, floundering in his thoughts as he tried to think of what he could do. From what he knew, Spirit Sense was similar to the Mind Read psynergy that Karis's father Ivan was known to use. Spoken as a double-edged sword, Matthew could see why as Sveta seemed to be tormented with an unknown horror that he couldn't assist her with or even see. If her power was not being controlled by her will, Matthew could only wonder what was currently flooding into her mind, thoughts and images that she had no control over the flow of._

_After another long pause Sveta suddenly turned her head in one direction, her eyes widening further as she whispered, "Brother…"_

And he actually did see what had caused Sveta to be so worried. They all had. Her brother, King Volechek, venturing into the opera house that his men had warned was where they had managed to quarantine monsters that had been ravaging the city. They had found the building empty before the music suddenly started, being played by an unknown source at an unknown location. The door closing behind them, trapping them, the music becoming louder, the curtains that had hidden the stage being pulled open to reveal-

"_Stop!" Sveta screamed, startling Matthew, bringing him out of the vision before he could see what, exactly had been waiting for Volecheck and his men._

They had decided to go to the opera house in hopes of seeing what they could do to save her brother and perhaps fight this encroaching darkness despite Kraden's demands that they should find transportation and leave the city as soon as they could. Karis and the others had followed Matthew's decision without question, the son of Isaac having become the de facto leader of the group just as his father had. Hoping to get to the house quickly, they had been cutting across the northern part of the city, traveling by where the musicians had been playing tunes such as _Mountain Roc Rising_ and _Arangoa Prelude_ that Sveta had told them to request to meet up with her again.

But that was when they found the body, the first of many. It was dressed in the armor of the city guard and though Matthew had desired to move around it, Sveta had been speaking again. But not with her words and not with her will.

"_I stood guard, peeled a potato or two," Sveta was speaking, her eyes focused on the body while her mouth moved on its own accord. She was backing away from the body, as if that motion could make it stop, but she continued to speak. "Cleaned the latrine. No actual soldering!"_

That was when _they_ came. The creatures that were responsible for all of the horrors they were witnessing, coming out of the shadows, suddenly surrounding the group. Matthew and his friends had fought and when he had slain the last of them Matthew had turned to look around and found himself alone. Karis, Tyrell, Sveta, Amiti, Rief; they had all vanished. This was where Matthew had trouble when it came to retracing his steps and deducing where, exactly, he was. He remembered passing the inn only a few minutes ago before he had ducked into the alley and he remembered heading south…perhaps a little to the east.

The entrance to Belisk should actually be nearby and for a brief moment Matthew entertained the idea of using it to escape this nightmare that had engulfed Belisk. He rejected the idea immediately. Other then the fact that Kraden had been quite clear about using a boat to get very, very far away from Belisk – that the current debacle was not just contained inside Belisk but outside as well -, there was also the fact that Matthew would not abandon his friends. Though Tyrell and Karis were his childhood friends, he had come to like Rief and Amiti, the two Mercury Adepts having become close friends as well during their adventures in not only Belisk but Ayuthay and Kaocho too in their quest to retrieve the feather from a Mountain Roc. Matthew was also concerned about Sveta for not only her brother but her own well being.

_Northwest then_, Matthew decided with certainty as he turned to where he hoped the opera house was located. He was going to have to look out for any familiar landmarks that could further point him in the right direction but for now that was his best bet. As he was entertaining thoughts of hoping to run into the others during his journey, Matthew saw one of _them_ appear at the corner of his eye.

They looked like your standard insect if insects grew to nearly the same size as Matthew and seemed to be made out of the very shadows that they appeared from. Three of them seemed to appear right next to him and Matthew immediately back-pedaled, his sword coming up to defend himself while he wondered how they managed to catch him off guard like that. It was as if they appeared from the shadows themselves which, really, considering what Matthew had experienced so far – djinn, Mountain Rocs, giant trees with faces on their barks – couldn't be ruled out as a plausible explanation.

Matthew managed to bring his sword around just in time as the lead insect scurried forward on its four legs. There were two appendages on its back, extra limbs that Matthew didn't want to see if they were as sharp as they appeared. One of them slashed down and Matthew managed to parry it before immediately ducking under the second one that came around to strike at his undefended side. Bringing his sword up, Matthew sought to bring it down right between the red orbs that had to be the thing's eyes but one leg covered in a shadowed carapace blocked it. A stab of one of its back appendages sought to pierce through him in response but Matthew leaped back in order to gain some distance between them.

Gritting his teeth, Matthew lunged at the bug, his sword coming back up in a similar attack like the one that he had tried before. However, there was a minor difference as the blade of his sword suddenly glowed in pure yellow Venus psynergy, a silhouette of one of his djinn – Flint – able to be seen despite the radiance. When the insect brought up its leg to defend again, it was soon proven that its carapace was not strong enough as the power of the Venus djinni allowed Matthew's sword to cleave through the leg and, quickly, its body.

He only had a moment to admire his handiwork before the second of the three monsters rushed him, its two appendages pointed forward as it charged in an attempt to spear him. Letting instinct takeover, Matthew fell backwards and dropped to the floor, landing on his back. The appendages stabbed at the air above him and, too late, the insect realized that Matthew had a clear and unobstructed view of its underside. An underside that wasn't as armored as the rest of it as Matthew found out when he stabbed his sword into it.

The insect twitched, letting out a loud, rattling noise that had to be the only kind of scream it could produce. Quickly, Matthew pulled his blade out and sought to crawl out from underneath the bug. He succeeded only halfway through before the monster dropped right onto his legs, the corpse pinning him down. Cursing his luck, Matthew turned just in time to see that the third bug was already taking advantage of this as it skittered forward to try and finish this trapped prey. Desperately, the Venus Adept thrust his hand forward at the charging bug, a yellow glow forming around it as he drew upon his psynergy for an attack that he hoped to pull off before the bug got to him.

He was glad he didn't. Just as Matthew was able to cast, someone dropped down from seemingly out of nowhere and landed upon the insect's back. That broke off the thing's charge and it immediately backed away and started thrashing, the sharp appendages at its back immediately seeking to stab the offender. Unfortunately for the creature, the individual on top already had the axe in his hands swinging up and then down to cleave right into its body.

That one strike must've been all that was needed for when Matthew managed to pull himself out from under his own kill, he had turned to find the creature already dead and his savior standing next to it, using his axe as a support which he leaned against casually as he waited for the Venus Adept to stand.

"Tyrell?" Matthew questioned when he thought he saw some red hair on top of the person's head.

"Tyrell?" spoke the individual in a voice that was certainly not Tyrell's and yet sounded familiar to Matthew. "You mean that loudmouth buddy of yours?"

_Who…?_ Matthew started to question until, after coming a step closer, he was able to make out the individual. He wasn't mistaken about the red hair but it was long and pulled back in a tail; Tyrell's wasn't like that. Besides, the person was larger, taller.

"That makes us even," spoke the man as Matthew stopped in front of him. "You got me out of the cage, I got out from being bug chow."

"Eoleo!" Now Matthew remembered! With the Luna Tower and the monsters, he had forgotten about the latest member of their party that they had freed before this catastrophe.

Son of the famous pirate Briggs, Matthew had learned that his father and his friends had tangled with the pirate before. Eoleo even claimed to remember seeing Isaac with his own eyes but Matthew assumed that he couldn't have been more than a baby during that time; the man looked a little over thirty years old. Briggs had come to Matthew and his friends and requested that they save his son and though some of them were unsure of the merits of the action – mainly Amiti -, they had saved Eoleo from a date with a boiling pot of oil that the beastmen had been ready to punish him with for his crimes.

If what he heard was true, Eoleo was supposed to be as much of a terror as his father. And Matthew didn't think of that as a bad thing considering that may be just what they needed for their current situation. Shaking his blade in an attempt to remove some of the dark ooze that had to serve as the blood of these monsters, Matthew looked around for anymore threats before focusing his full attention on Eoleo.

"Have you seen the others?"

Tilting his head to the side, the older man looked left and then right as If he could just spot the rest of their group through the fog before turning to face back at Matthew and shaking his head. "Nah. When those buggers showed up we all seemed to have gotten separated. I haven't seen any of them since until I saw you trapped and about to get eaten." He shrugged. "I suppose you're a more welcome sight then that Ayuthay; not sure I would've saved him."

"Trust me, I had welcomed the idea of seeing you doused in oil. Or left hanging in confinement."

Both Matthew and Eoleo turned at the sound of the voice and the former smiled while the latter scowled at the blue-haired Mercury Adept that stepped out of the shadows with the same suddenness as the insects that they had just dispatched.

"Amiti!" Matthew spoke with relief.

"Oh look, you're alive," Eoleo spoke, though his enthusiasm was hardly on par with that of Matthew's. Indeed, he seemed to speak of Amiti's survival in the same way as someone who stepped in animal droppings.

Despite the man being larger than the teen, Amiti glared at Eoleo as if _he_ was the one that sought to tower over him. Matthew glanced between the two warily but when Eoleo's axe remained planted in the ground and Amiti kept his bow pointed down, he blew out a long breath before turning his full focus on Amiti. "Have you seen the others?"

Ignoring Eoleo for now, Amiti slowly shook his head as he looked to Matthew, his anger being replaced with worry. "No. Sounds like the same thing happened to me; I got separated from the lot. I thought I saw Rief with Tyrell and Karis before I lost track of them."

"And Sveta?"

Amiti shook his head in negative.

"They couldn't have gone far," Matthew spoke, worried and frustrated now. "If Tyrell, Karis, and Rief managed to stick together, surely they're still alive. Tyrell and Karis can handle themselves as well as I can and Rief has proven to be quite the Adept as well."

"Agreed," Amiti confirmed though his brows were still knitted in worry. "But what about Sveta? You saw her just as I did; she wasn't exactly handling this well."

"The beast chick?" Eoleo intervened. A cocky smiling sprouting on his face, the pirate shrugged easily. "She's fine. I probably have more experience with beastmen then you do and I can tell you right now that they're almost as scary as I am." Lifting his axe from the ground, Eoleo rested it easily on his shoulder as if it weighed as much as Matthew's smaller sword and handled it in a way that hinted to his expertise with it. "And I'm only talking about the nice ones; should see them when they get angry."

Matthew nodded and even Amiti did so as well with no sign of the previous hostility that he had shown to the pirate just a moment ago. Other then Sveta's Jupiter powers and her more natural armaments of tooth and claw, both Adepts had witnessed another ability of hers: that being to transform into her more ferocious beast form. Matthew had been in awe when first seeing it upon their duel with Blados and Chalis. Not only was her strength increased but her speed as well, allowing her to go toe-to-toe with Blados while the Adepts made use of their psynergy and djinn.

Still, he was worried. Her Spirit Sense had left her in a state that had worried Matthew when he had last seen her and he was unsure of how she could possibly be faring with everything else that was happening; the fate of her brother at the opera house and the fact that her home was being taken over by these monsters.

_And we're partly to blame for this,_ Matthew reminded himself, the current lull in the fighting allowing the shame that he had been able to ignore to once again take hold. Chalis, Blados, and that masked man that they only knew as Arcanus had played them and good. It was their manipulations that forced Matthew and his friends to kill the Mountain Roc and take the Magma Orb. And it was them that had activated the Alchemy Dynamo and caused the ascension of the Luna Tower.

So many things that they could've done to prevent all this. They should've left before the Mountain Roc woke up, they should've left the Magma Orb where it was. They should've turned back when they had ventured into the ruins beneath Belinsk and found another way into the castle to save Eoleo and Hou Ju. Yes, they had done it all in hopes of making sure that Tuaparang wouldn't be able to do it but lo and behold, they had done everything for them! And now Belisk was doomed, possibly the world too, all because of what they did-

"Matthew?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, Matthew looked up at Amiti to see a worried look on his friend's face which was directed at him. Even the big pirate Eoleo was looking to the Venus Adept with a raised brow and a question of his own.

"Sorry, just thinking about the others," Matthew assured quickly, causing Eoleo to shrug it off yet again. Amiti, however, kept a narrowed, concerned look on Matthew for a moment longer before turning to once again examine their surroundings.

"You were all heading to the opera house weren't you?" Eoleo asked. Upon getting two nods the pirate rolled his eyes. "Well they're probably still heading there aren't they? Where else are they going to go?" With a scoff, Eoleo turned his back to the two. "Of course, if you want my opinion, I say we head to the pier like Kraden said and find a ride out of here."

"We'll be on our way there soon," Matthew assured. "Kraden was already heading there to find a boat and will be waiting for us." His blade still held at the ready in case more of the bugs appeared, Matthew turned to look in the direction that he had thought the opera house was. "But you have a point. If the others are going anywhere it's probably the opera house."

"Agreed," Amiti chimed in. "More than likely they're heading there with the thought that we're going in that direction."

As if to prove his point, there was a sudden boom of thunder in the direction of the opera house that caused the gathered trio to jump and immediately get on the defensive. Nocking an arrow to his bow, Amiti pointed the weapon in the direction of the loud noise while Matthew kept his sword raised. Next to him, it seemed that Matthew's suspicions about Eoleo was proven correct when the larger man bounced the axe from his shoulder and flipped it into a two-handed grip to hold it at the ready. However, while Eoleo continued to stay at the ready, Amiti and Matthew both relaxed when they saw the reason for the thunder.

"Karis," Matthew spoke with relief as, even with the fog, they could clearly see a bolt of plasma that lit the darkness off in the distance.

"Yeah and she seems to be busy," Amiti spoke before he sped off in that direction. Looking over his shoulder he called out, "They come from the shadows! Watch where the dark is darkest!"

Watching him run, both Matthew and Eoleo looked at one another. It was the pirate that first questioned, "Dark is darkest? But everything is dark!"

Shrugging, Matthew murmured, "Just do what he said" before the two ran after Amiti.

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"Tyrell where are you?" Karis shouted as her latest Shine Plasma spell sent bolts down to cook and burst open the carapaces of the two latest monsters. Taking note of a movement to her right, Karis ran to the side just in time to avoid a pounce of one of the other insects. "I can't take them all on!"

"I'm already taking them all on!" came his reply.

Glancing in the direction of his voice, Karis had to admit that the Mars Adept had a point. Surrounded by four of the insects, she was just in time to witness one get blasted away when Tyrell fired a Heat Wave in the direction of one of them. Similar to Karis's Shine Plasma, the fire attack cooked and blasted apart the carapace of the targeted insect, leaving a smoking pile of ooze where the creature had been standing a moment ago. The trio of remaining insects immediately skittered forward to take advantage of what they perceived as a distraction but Tyrell turned, spinning and swinging his long sword around in a circle to drive them back.

_On my own then_, Karis thought with exasperation. Along with the insect she had just managed to avoid a pounce from, another one was immediately coming to back it up. Pointing a hand at it, Karis cried, "Doldrum!"

The Jupiter djinni obeyed her call. Surrounded in a purple aura the djinni shot forward towards the insect which immediately made a stab at the approaching creature in response. It was no use and, in mid-strike, the insect suddenly found itself not able to move at all. Karis saw the reason why as, surrounded by the same purple aura, the air around the insect had stilled. The insect, the fog, everything in the space around it had suddenly frozen in place.

"I got the other one!"

Surprised at the sudden but familiar cry, Karis was nonetheless thankful for the assistance that soon came in the force of blue, Mercury psynergy that assailed the other bug that had been about to repeat the pounce that it made before. The area around the bug froze around it but, unlike Doldrum, the spell that had been cast literally froze the bug in a cube of ice. A second later the cube shattered along with the insect, sending frozen bits of it everywhere.

"Thanks Rief," Karis spoke in relief.

Not far from her, the other teen smiled sheepishly, using a finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "No problem. That Ice Queen Stone has been coming in handy."

"No kidding." Smiling herself, Karis turned back to the other insect which was still trapped by Doldrum. With a wave of her hand, another bolt of plasma struck down from the skies, cutting through the fog and darkness to finish it. "Alright, let's help Tyrell."

Such help ended up proving unnecessary, however. When looking to see how Tyrell was doing, Karis saw the last of a sword made of pure Venus psynergy dissipate, leaving behind a shadow insect that had been sliced completely in half by the Ragnarok. Similar to the bug that Rief had dealt with, another of Tyrell's opponents had shattered into frozen bits. As for the last one, the insect was struggling weakly on the ground, trying to get back on its legs despite the fact that the two front ones were missing, courtesy of a particularly strong blow from Tyrell's long sword.

"That's the last of them," Matthew spoke, sheathing his sword at the scabbard on his back while Amiti shouldered his bow. Behind the two came Eoleo, his axe still resting against his shoulder.

"Just stay out of where the dark is darkest and we won't have to worry about anymore," Eoleo advised as he examined the latest kills.

Tyrell, wiping the sweat from his brow, gave Eoleo a curious look. "Dark is darkest? Isn't it dark everywhere?"

Eoleo shrugged and jerked his head in Amiti's direction. "He's the one that said it, kid."

"Stop calling me a kid!"

"Have you guys seen Sveta?" Matthew asked, working quickly to try and defuse the situation before it could get out of hand. Surveying his gathered friends, he saw that their party was still short by one person.

"We were hoping she was with you," Karis replied, who had also been examining the faces of Matthew, Amiti, and Eoleo and seeing that Sveta's was missing from among them.

Amiti shook his head. "We were just trying to find one another. We had hoped that we would find everyone at the opera house."

"Funny," Tyrell cut in. Despite the fact that they could be attacked again at any moment, the Mars Adept allowed himself to the drop to the ground, sitting with legs crossed and his long sword laying across his lap. "That's where Karis had hoped to find you guys before we had to kill the latest batch of these bugs. They just keep coming!"

"There's no end to them," Rief agreed. Seeming to follow Tyrell's example, the Mercury Adept took the chance to remove his glasses from his face and use his robe to rub at the lenses. There was something black, gooey, and sticky stuck to the left one which he rubbed at furiously to try and get out. "It's like they just keep coming out from the shadows."

"I'm thinking that, that might be the case," Amiti confirmed. Nodding his head to an area behind Tyrell he continued, "See how the shadows are darker over there? Watch out for those spots because I've noticed them appearing at places like those."

Looking over his shoulder, Tyrell looked at where Amiti pointed out. Squinting his eyes, craning his neck out, he tried to spot where, exactly, Amiti was suggesting but after only a few seconds he shook his head. "I don't see it."

Rolling his eyes, Amiti just spoke, "Just stick with me. I can see them."

"And what is this? You were able to notice all that while we were fighting and running blind?"

"Yes, you'd be surprised with how much time I've been able to have for such intellectual pursuits. I also composed a symphony and drafted a plan to bring peace between Ayuthay and Kaocho who can then unite all of Angara and finally Weyard."

"Wow, really?"

Amiti buried his face into the palm of his hand.

"Anyway…" Karis cut in, giving Amiti a bewildered look before focusing on the current issue. "Considering that Sveta's brother had been at the opera house, I'm going to assume she has more reason than any of us to head there." Leaning against her staff, the green-haired teen finalized, "She was taking care of herself long before she met us; I'm sure she could survive a simple walk to the opera."

"Hardly what you would call simple," Eoleo replied with a smirk. "But then again, you're the children of the Warriors of Vale, yes? I mean if _half_ of the things my old man told me about your parents are true then this has to be nothing to even the likes of you."

"You should've joined us a lot earlier," Rief chimed in. Apparently finished with his glasses, the teen gave them one final examination before placing them back on his face. "We've been fighting Mountain Rocs, navigating through ruins with deadly traps and puzzles, curing giant trees of poisons, fighting secret military organizations..."

For once Eoleo actually looked impressed. "Sounds like those stories of your parents alright."

"We need to get moving," Matthew cut in who, more and more, was growing increasingly wary of their surroundings. "We need to find Sveta and get out of here. It's….getting worse. The darkness. I can feel it; not just here, I can feel it spreading to the surrounding lands."

"I can feel it too," Karis replied, her own face having grown as wary. "The air too. It's getting thicker, stronger. We need to get out of here soon or we may never be able to."

llllllllllllllllllll 

"I guess you were right after all, Mom," Sveta spoke. "I shouldn't have become a soldier…"

Not for the first time since this catastrophe started that Sveta was nearly brought to tears with the thoughts that assaulted her mind. The words that she had just whispered within the silence of the opera house were the voiced thoughts of the dead. Lying amongst the seats, right at her very feet, was a fellow beastman. Dressed in the garb of the guard, the soldier had died with the thoughts of a loved one and a life's regret.

There were more bodies here, most of them dressed in the same guard uniforms. Most likely they had been the ones that had been guarding her brother when he had ventured into the opera house, when they had discovered the monsters that had been waiting for them. And then they died.

_But they're not, _Sveta thought despairingly, her hands coming to clasp the sides of her head. _They're not dead. I can hear them. Their final thoughts, their regrets; they won't stop!_

"_I thought I'd die on some glorious battlefield, not a gaudy opera house…"_

"_I wish I had two more lives to give for my country and King Volechek!"_

Volechek. What had her brother done?

"A girl," Sveta suddenly spoke as a thought drifted to her mind. She did not know why but she immediately clung to the thought that came to her mind. There was no regret or hate in this thought, just…concern. Caring. Like a lifeline she clung to it, trying to save herself from the torrent of the other departed souls that assaulted her mind.

She hated this. She had hated this the moment she had seen what this power had done to her father. When she had shown signs of this he had warned her about it, that the gift that she had been given was more of a curse, a burden that she will have to learn to shoulder and deal with when the time came. Despite her calm, patient demeanor, her one, secret fear that she had never wanted to encounter was to suffer as her father had done.

It was a nightmare that had become reality. She had experienced this before but not to such a degree as she did now. The suffering, the pain and despair, all that this eclipse and these monsters were responsible for far exceeded anything that she had experienced before. Her people were dying, their final thoughts being of the horrors that were taking over their home that reverberated in her mind.

A girl. There was a girl. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sveta focused on that.

"_Where did that girl go? I hope she's all right…"_

"I hope she's all right," Sveta spoke, though the words were actually her own. So much death around her, there needed to be some kind of hope that she could latch onto. There was someone that could be saved. There just had to be someone that she could help.

"_Please, Crystallux, watch over my granddaughter and keep her safe."_

There was a body that was not dressed in the uniform of a soldier and it was that body that the thought had come from. Her legs shaking, Sveta nonetheless forced herself to support herself upon them and stumble over to the body. Dropping to her knees, she could only stare down at the body, dressed in a festive kimono that many others had worn for the festival. This man…he had a granddaughter that he had been enjoying with during the festival.

But where was she? The question stuck out in her mind, acting as a shield against the other thoughts that sought to drive her insane. Clinging to it like a lifeline, Sveta focused on that questioned and shouted it over and over in her mind. Where was the girl? Where was his granddaughter?

"Where did that girl go?" Sveta murmured to herself, her hands still at her head, her eyes sealing shut again. "I hope she's all right…"

"Sveta?"

Despite the calming voice that spoke to her, Sveta did not draw her focus away from the thought that could possibly be all that was keeping her from insanity. There was the girl, the granddaughter. Where was she? She hoped that she was alright, that Crystallux was watching over her and keeping her safe at this very moment so that she could find her.

"Sveta?"

There was a touch at her shoulder, a point of warmth that acted as the beacon within the cold aura of death that surrounded her. Sveta focused on that warmth, on that touch, her own hand coming up to lay upon the one on her shoulder. At the source of that warmth came thoughts, warm and comforting. Concern…care…for her? Worry about her state of mind, stories of individuals called Ivan and Sheba flashing through her mind, the words of warning of a power like Mind Read. Thoughts that carried hope that she wasn't succumbing to the dangers, hoping that she was all right.

Finally, Sveta opened her eyes and stared into ones that held the care and concern for her that now gave her so much comfort. They were…someone's. Someone…name…what was the name of this person? The thoughts that whirled around in her mind made it difficult for her to know which were hers and which were not. But she started to remember. The scent came first, a scent that she had first detected in the Te Rya Village and lured into the Teppe Ruins. She had wanted the scent to…to…take a bag that she had found, that she thought the scent may be able to deliver for her.

Promises of loyalty, of friendship. She had told the scent to request the song _Arangoa Prelude_ when he was ready to see her again. But the name…the name.

"Matthew," she spoke, the name finally coming to her mind. "Matthew."

"I'm here," Matthew spoke, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "It's alright. I'm here. We're all here. Karis, Tyrell, Rief, Amiti…"

Names of friends. Friends of the scent, friends of Matthew…friends of her. She helped them as a guide, helped them through the ruins beneath Belinsk, help them…

_I helped them cause all this. The death, the sorrow, the regrets, the granddaughter. Our fault, my fault. What have we – I have done?_

"_Karis, what can I do? How can I help her?"_

"_Just keep talking to her. Get her to focus."_

"_Sveta! Sveta listen! Please Sveta, focus! It's me Matthew! Sveta we have to-"_

"-leave," Matthew pressed, his other hand having come up to grip her other shoulder. "Sveta we have to go."

"We can't," Sveta replied and despite the curiosity that came from Matthew at her question she felt the relief that she was talking; the relief of him and everyone else that were with them. "The granddaughter. We have to find her. She's here…somewhere."

Sveta felt Matthew's attention drift from her and move towards the stage of the opera house. She felt wariness and a sense of danger that forced Sveta to open her eyes and look in the same direction. There was something waiting on the stage, the same thing that her brother and her guards had stumbled. Something that had caused all these deaths…

"GRAAAWR!"

The roar startled them and Sveta was suddenly filled with fear; not because of the roar but because of the thoughts that she was able to hear and were coming from the stage. Frightened, scared out of her mind, hoping that Crystallux would protect her long enough for her grandfather to come and find her-

"It's her!" Eyes wide, Sveta focused on the stage, trying to find her. "The granddaughter! We have to save…"

But it wasn't what Matthew and the rest were focused on. Instead, seeming to be stretching from the roof and towards the stage was a dragon. What had once been a chandelier that had been hanging on the ceiling of the opera house had now taken on the shape of the dragon. And that dragon had its focus upon the stage, its attention centered on the creature that had made that terrifying roar.

"Don't hurt it!"

Fear and alarm – not just hers but Matthew's and the others' – coursed through Sveta upon seeing the little girl that suddenly appeared on the stage, jumping between the dragon and the monster that was responsible for everything. Seeming to be trying to protect the dragon, the girl stared defiantly at the monster.

"Please don't hurt Crystallux!" the girl, the granddaughter, begged.

But the monster – what looked like a green troll except lankier, but still powerful and terrifying and absolutely _evil _– raised a thick hand and batted her to the side.

Rage – again not just hers but everyone else – coursed through Sveta. Finding her strength, finding her drive, Sveta leaped to her feet. Roaring in anger, she ran to the stage, transforming as she leaped forward.

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**Author's Note:** So not exactly a bad piece if I do so myself. I had actually completed Belinsk today and I had typed this up in the next couple hours after that. So if you manage to spot any spelling or grammatical errors, my somewhat-rushed job may have something to do with it. If I do say so myself, however, I think I did pretty good and at the very least this is far better than the abominations I had written in the past. I was actually going to make this fic a oneshot but as I started typing the ideas kept pouring in and now I think I may make this a two parter…possibly three. We'll see how that goes. Until then, leave your reviews if you wish and patiently wait for the next portion of this thing!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Alrighty, now we have chapter two up and running! Unfortunately, while I seem to be making progress with this fic, I don't seem to be making the same with Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Other then writing, there's this thing called World of Warcraft…and there was this expansion called Cataclysm that came out and…I don't really need to go on .

But I'm making progress nonetheless! Got Himi to join my party and after some…things…that happened, I managed to get the Morgal map that is needed to continue the quest to save the world! I just need to dedicate a day that involves beating Dark Dawn and, who knows, maybe I'll get inspired to create some more work other than this. Only time will tell.

Until such a time come, please enjoy this latest chapter!

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Sveta collided into the troll monster with a fury of claw and teeth that made even Matthew wince upon seeing it. Had she been in her normal form, the troll probably would've batted her aside as easily as the little girl that had first stood in its way. As it was, however, Sveta had transformed into her beast form when she had charged at the monster and the shift in appearance was still as startling as when the Venus Adept had first seen it during their previous fight.

If there was anything that Matthew could compare the now transformed Sveta to it would've been the stories of the werewolves that Isaac had first told him and Tyrell when they had been children during one moonlit night. Having grown nearly an extra foot in height that would've put her taller than Matthew, the rest of Sveta's body had taken on a similar change with her arms and legs having increased in length and thickness with her muscles having bulged in size, turning her former slim frame into a hulking, massive one like that of the troll. Her lavender hair – having once been smooth and tied back in two tails – had been freed and crested her head in a mane of thick fur. Thick fur that now covered the rest of her body.

And then, of course, there were her teeth and claws. Her mouth and nose having protruded into a more pronounce snout like that of a wolf where, when her jaws opened, it could be clearly seen that the row of white teeth that had once looked human were now the sharp fangs of an animal. And it was these fangs that had sought for the throat of the troll that had managed to put up a thick, green arm to protect itself. Sveta's jaws clamped onto this defense and the troll howled as the fangs pierced through its tough hide, drawing the black ooze that served as its blood. As the troll fell back, bringing Sveta with it, the girl was already reaching with her hands – now hairy paws – to strike at the monster's eyes with her longer, sharper claws to blind it.

With such a vicious opening assault, Matthew would've been willing to let Sveta take it from here. However, out from the shadows at the sides of the stage came more of the insects that they had battled outside. Tyrell had nicknamed them scuttlers for whatever reason but Matthew soon saw that the name was perfectly apt as the creatures started scuttling towards the two monstrous combatants. Though he couldn't be sure if the troll and the scuttlers were related, Matthew had a feeling that the scuttlers meant to help the troll rather than attack it.

It reminded him of when they had been to the Tanglewood and his father had mentioned that, due to him being a Venus Adept, he was able to sense the life of the trees and creatures that inhabited the area. Perhaps it was this sense that allowed Matthew to detect…a wrongness; a disturbance that had to be completely and utterly unnatural and yet permeated both the scuttlers and the troll. It was something these dark creatures shared and Matthew suspected that, that meant that they were in league with each other.

That meant that they all saw Sveta as their enemy. And out from the shadows, there were at least a dozen of the scuttlers that now sought to attack her.

"We have to help her!" Matthew ordered, his one hand already darting behind his back. With a sound of metal sliding against leather, his sword slid out of the scabbard at his back. "Rief, get to the girl! Tyrell, you cover him!"

Despite his previous reluctance at pursuing this chase to the opera house, Eoleo was the first to charge forward. Leaping onto the stage, the pirate raised his axe over his head and brought it down with all the strength that he could muster. The scuttler he had targeted screeched in pain as one of its front legs was immediately severed by the blow, dropping it to the stage floor while it now sought to balance itself on its three remaining legs. Pulling his axe from the stage floor which it had become lodged in as a result, Eoleo swung the weapon to the side, catching a second scuttler and knocking it off balance, before swinging it back up and down to cleave through the insect that he had wounded.

Though surprised at this sudden interruption, a number of the remaining scuttlers now turned to this latest threat, ignoring Sveta who was wrestling with the troll. Before they could seek to overwhelm Eoleo, however, large ice crystals dropped from above, smashing into the carapaces of a number of scuttlers and absolutely crushing a couple of them. His face set in a determined expression, Amiti switched from his Hail Prism to his bow, firing an arrow right into the eyes of a scuttler that had only been half-crushed by one of the heavy ice crystals and had sought to continue its march to Eoleo's back.

Off to the other side of the stage where another group of scuttlers were approaching and were not affected by the appearance of Eoleo and Amiti, the creatures became assaulted by the whirling winds of Karis's Tornado that sent them flying, their bodies twitching and thrashing in the air before they were slammed into the walls and ceiling of the opera house. That left an opening for Tyrell and Rief, the former clearing out any remnant scuttlers with his long sword while Rief continued on towards the girl that had been batted aside by the troll. There had been one scuttler that had actually been approaching the small, unmoving form but the Mercury Adept had thrust his staff forward and the scuttler froze into a block of ice.

Now having a clear path, Rief actually dropped his staff to the stage floor before he also dropped and slid on his knees so that he could kneel at the girl's side. Matthew, using his sword to shatter the frozen scuttler into pieces, turned just in time to see Rief – his hands at the girl's shoulders to turn her over – suddenly recoil, his eyes wide with shock, his face visibly paling.

"Rief, what's wrong?" Matthew questioned over the sounds of battle which included a sudden boom and flash of light as Karis directed her psynergy attacks to assist the other side of the stage where Amiti and Eoleo fought. "Can you help her?"

"I…" Matthew could barely hear as Rief, his body bent over the girl as he examined her, sought to try and find some words of explanation. "I'll see what I can do…"

His reaction and small, uncertain words worried Matthew. He sought to get a good look at the girl to see how she fared but Rief was bent over in such a way that effectively blocked her from Matthew's view. He would have to hope the Rief could heal her and that the troll hadn't hit her harder than he had originally thought as right now there was a battle to worry about.

A sudden spike of heat caused Matthew to turn around and see a pair of scuttlers being consumed in a torrent of flames that whipped and whirled around them, burning them alive. In front of them was Tyrell, the Mars Adept's brows knitted in concentration, his arm raised at the monsters as his psynergy fed the inferno that started to melt the very carapaces off their backs.

"How is she?" Tyrell asked though he did not turn to face Matthew, his concentration still focused on the scuttlers that he was burning. Though often described as hot-headed and even immature for as long as Matthew had known his best friend, Tyrell's face was curled in a mask of fierce concentration and his voice held such intense calm that surprised Matthew enough that the scuttlers had been turned into pair of hot, bubbling piles of ooze by the time he answered his friend's question.

"I don't know," Matthew admitted. "Rief says he'll do his best to heal her but I-"

"I know Rief has that under control," Tyrell interrupted and that arrogant smirk that Matthew was more used to appeared on his face. It was gone a moment later as he continued with, "I meant Sveta."

"I was going to help her next," Matthew replied and he jerked his head to the center of the stage. "Cover me will you?"

"You got it," Tyrell replied with a thumbs-up. Summoning a fireball, Tyrell sent the fiery projectile rocketing into a pack of scuttlers before he rushed in with his long sword.

With that distraction, Matthew focused on getting to Sveta. Having been left to her own devices, the demi-human had apparently fought with continued fierceness as she focused all her attention on the troll. Other then the bleeding teeth marks that she had left on its arm, her follow-up attack on the creature's eyes had apparently proved partially successful as one of its yellow orbs were missing. Five claw marks had been savagely slashed over where the eye had once been as well as half of its face. Its torso had its own collection of savage marks that made it appear as if Sveta had been trying to claw out its insides. More of its dark fluid leaked from those wounds, drenching its chest and belly.

Despite such savage wounds and Matthew's disbelief that such a creature could possibly keep going, the battle wasn't one sided. A heavy foot pressed firmly down on her stomach, pinning her to the stage floor, but Sveta was nonetheless trying to continue her assault. Her left arm was twisted at an odd angle, unable to move, but her right arm was still working as she raised it and used her claws to slash at the thigh of the troll while her mouth was clamped down on the ankle of the leg that pinned her.

A green fist was her reward for her efforts as the troll raised its unscarred right arm and smashed it down on her before raising it back up and smashing it back down. Even then Sveta kept at it, her teeth and claws digging deeper into the troll's leg. Finally, with a mixed roar of pain and outrage, the troll seized her with both hands and, after managing to pry her off, lifted Sveta before throwing her through the air. Matthew was only able to watch in horror as Sveta was thrown to the back wall of the stage where she collided with a _thud_ that managed to somehow be heard over the continued sounds of battle.

Dropping to the floor in a heap, Sveta did not get up. In fact, she was starting to shrink. Her fur disappearing, her snout pulling back until it became a normal human nose and mouth on her face, her claws and muscles shrinking, until she had reverted back to her normal appearance. The troll, its single eye focused on the now smaller and unmoving foe, tilted its head at the odd sight. However, it soon took a step forward, and then another, limping towards her as its large hands opened and closed into fists that wanted to finish her off.

With its missing right eye, it did not see Matthew coming until a sudden explosion of pain at its uninjured leg caused it to roar in agony. All thoughts of the beastgirl forgotten, the troll turned to face the small, blond creature that dared to challenge it.

His sword at the ready in one hand, Matthew used his other hand to wave towards himself, baiting the troll to come at him. The ugly face of the troll stared at him but after a moment the monster started stomping towards him…or tried to. With chunks of flesh missing from its left leg due to Sveta's vicious attack and now the clean cut from Matthew's sword that nearly sliced through its right knee, the troll stumbled. Nearly falling over in only a moment, the monster planted its fists into the stage floor to steady itself. Growling, the creature looked back up at Matthew to see the Venus Adept raising his sword in the air despite the fact that several feet separated them, too far for Matthew to possibly hit it. That's when it noticed a golden light emanating above the blond creature.

Looking up, the troll only had time to realize that a giant sword shaped with golden light was coming down upon it before it struck home. The troll's howls were overwhelmed with the explosion of Venus psynergy that followed when the Ragnarok stabbed into its chest.

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Darkness.

Though a home for monsters the darkness had never been as comforting as it was now. There was peace, silence, none of the chaos and pain that had assaulted her mind. The final, restless cries of the dead had been silenced, leaving only her thoughts to rest easily in her mind. No more voices that had wished to have died in a more spectacular fashion or wished they had chosen a completely different life then the one that they believe was responsible for their premature end. Desires left unfulfilled, the terror and panic for loved ones, they were all silenced.

The pain of her body had been numbed as well. She could not feel her crushed and twisted arm which the monster had grabbed during her attempt to claw out its other eye and quickly rendered useless before throwing her to the floor and nearly doing the same to her ribs which its heavy foot stomped upon. Her memory drifted after the final image of a wall that had been rushing forward to meet her head-on.

The reasons as to how and why such a thing had happened faded from her mind, drifting away with her consciousness. She didn't care, it didn't matter now, and she was happy with remaining in the peace that has now taken hold to help her forget all that had happened.

_But her arm was the most visible injury. Other then the unnatural angle it had been twisted in, it looked as if the bones at her forearm had been nearly pulverized if they already weren't._

A flash of irritation and underlying despair came with the thought and image that invaded her mind, piercing through the peaceful darkness that currently offered her sanctuary. An immense exhaustion immediately tugged at her, trying to keep her in place, and she was more than happy to oblige. She was tired and all that she wanted to do was sleep.

_Ribs are bruised, a couple possibly broken too but it's difficult to tell. Wish dad had taught me more about healing psynergy. Can't be helped; Rief's busy and I'll just have to do what I can. That bump on her head worries me the most…_

The thoughts became more of a voice in her mind and she continued to be irritated by it. It disturbed her peace, shook her gently from her peaceful slumber. What did it hope to accomplish? She just wanted it to leave her alone.

_Not as bad as I thought; her beast form really makes her tough. The arm is the worst though. I'll just do what I can but I should stabilize it just in case. A sling maybe…my scarf-_

Discomfort, on par to a sudden, irritating shake that a friend would do to jar you awake, caused her to groan. And then there wasn't just the one voice, there were more that she could now hear. The voices wanted to take her from her slumber and to bring her back to reality. She floundered as they flooded into her consciousness.

_Did she move? I thought I heard something too-_

_Oh sure, I give him some cover and my best friend leaves me high and dry! Come on ya beasties, I'll roast you al- oh hey, thanks Karis._

_Damn it Tyrell, I can't keep my eye off you for one second can I? Stealing my dad's soarwing, lighting shops on fire, getting surrounded by giant bugs that probably want to maim and completely tear you limb from-_

_So why didn't I make for the ships again? They just let me out of cage; I don't think that requires me to fight off the whole anthill here._

_Wish the pirate would learn to watch his back because I can't certainly watch it forever! Nock…pull it back…one right behind him and…_

_It's just too much! I'm trying but I can't…I have to try…I…she's just going away..._

_Woah! Where did that come from! I swear I think that Ayuthay has it out for me – oh boy, look at the size of that one! Going to need to give you an extra stomp…_

_Starting to feel a bit lightheaded; all these Plasmas are starting to get to me. Just need to hold out a bit longer…they have to end sometime…_

_I'm not done yet! This is nowhere near as bad as when dad had me do those squats whenever I heard a seagull squawk…stupid seagulls._

_She's going away. She's going away and I can't stop it!_

_Sveta, you have to wake up! I'll carry you if I have to but you have to wake up!_

At the sound of her name, Sveta awoke.

Other then the thoughts that clouded her mind, there also came the images and sensations that bombarded her. She felt fingers probing at her ribs and the beastgirl couldn't help but squeak in discomfort. Instinct – her more beastly ones – demanded that she lash out at the offender in response but other than a similar discomfort – and pain – that she felt at her arm, there was something tied around it that resisted her efforts.

A face hovered over her but unlike last time Sveta immediately recognized the face of Matthew. It was the recognition – and the exhaustion and pain that her body still felt – that put thoughts of retaliation or any other violent actions to rest. For a brief moment she thought about closing her eyes and drifting back to sleep, hoping that the next time she awoke things would be a lot quieter.

And then another thought came to her mind. Base, primitive, but absolutely violent, evil, and…hungry.

_Small, yellow hair die. Hungry. Snack, morsel. So hungry, must eat. Yellow first, hurtful biting one next. Devour rest, devour all._

This thought, so dark and menacing compared to the rest, caught Sveta by surprise and all she could do was continue to stare up at Matthew who looked down at her. Concerned for her and his friends and hoping that they would be able to leave.

But not realizing the danger that was crawling up right behind him. The danger that reached out with a large, meaty hand to grab him, to drag him to it so that it could devour him, to appease the hunger that knew no appeasement but eating was all it knew-

"Matthew!" Sveta cried out in warning just as the teen was suddenly pulled out of her view. Her exhaustion disappearing in an instant, Sveta scrambled to her knees, ignoring the dizziness and the pain at her ribs and arm that demanded she stop.

With one hand enveloping Matthew's leg, the troll pulled the Venus Adept towards it. It must've only been using that one hand because the other arm was not there; only a torn and mutilated shoulder that bled a slow, staggered flow of blood like the rest of its body. Having already been maimed during Sveta's assault, the troll had been further mutilated from Matthew's Ragnarok. There was now a large, gaping hole in its chest that revealed torn insides with the surrounding flesh similarly shredded. Its legs were just as ravaged and stretched out limply behind the troll, no doubt having been transformed into dead weight that the monster had to deal with.

And yet it still lived and wished to do more harm. Pulling on the struggling Venus Adept, the troll opened its wide mouth, revealing broke, jagged teeth that wanted to do nothing more than rip and tear into the teen.

Matthew reached for his sword that he had dropped to the floor upon reaching Sveta's side. Another pull from the troll made his reach too short and his fingers stopped from what had to be an inch from the weapon's hilt. Immediately, Sveta now reached for his weapon, either to give it to him or use it herself. It didn't matter; she just wanted that monster to finally die.

And then an ear-shattering roar put a stop to everything. Her hand on Matthew's sword, Sveta couldn't help but look over his shoulder while Matthew did the same over his. Even the troll, having been so focused on its prey, froze at the sound and turned its ugly head to look for the source.

Behind it was the dragon. Though having seen it before she had leapt into battle, its inactivity had caused Sveta to forget about it. But now it's long, glittering body twisted and stretched in mid air as it approached the downed troll, the two rubies that had to serve as its eyes focused upon the monster. The teeth that it revealed when it unleashed another roar were made out of the same crystal-like material but looked just as sharp.

Despite it no doubt being easily capable of doing so, the dragon was not about to devour the troll. As it roared, a bright, yellow light glowed within its maw. In fact, its entire body glowed with this light with such intensity that Sveta had to squint and turn her head aside as the radiance pierced through the fog and the shadows that had been placed all over Belinsk since the start of the eclipse. But her concern for Matthew did not deter her from his plight as she released his sword and now grabbed his arm, pulling on it in hopes of pulling him out from the troll's grasp.

There was no resistance. Distracted by its latest opponent, the troll's grip had loosened and with Matthew's help Sveta managed to pull him to safety. It proved to be just in time as the yellow light that caused the crystal dragon to glow so bright suddenly shot forth from its body in the form of intense beams of light. This light shot all throughout the opera house but, more specifically, the creatures of the shadow. Before the eyes of the fighting Adepts the scuttlers that they were fighting vanished, the beams of light consuming them upon touching them.

As for the Adepts themselves they remained untouched. But the troll, its eyes staring stupidly forward, was the latest target as the lights converged on it, enveloping it as they did with the scuttlers, consuming it.

When the lights vanished there was no sign of the troll or any of the creatures that they had been fighting. There was only silence.

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"I tried everything…" Rief insisted quietly. His head bowed, his shoulders shaking, the Mercury Adept spoke with broken, sorrow-filled words. "There's only so much psynergy can do! I tried to help her! But her injuries…they're just…I can't…I tried but they're just…"

He was incapable of finishing before he broke down sobbing. His glasses having long since been removed from his eyes, placed upon the stage floor next to him, Rief brought his hands to his face. At first wiping at the tears that streamed from his eyes and slid down his face, Rief finally buried his face into the sleeves of his robe as he cried.

Karis knelt down next to him. Tentatively, the Jupiter Adept reached down and slowly picked up his glasses from the floor. Only when she had them did Karis lean over and wrap her arms around Rief, drawing him into a tight embrace as she whispered words of comfort in his ear.

"It's all right," she spoke softly as her arms gave him a squeeze. "No one's blaming you; you did your best. It's all right." There were tears in her violet eyes but she managed to keep her tone steady as she comforted Rief.

The tightness in his throat as he looked down at the girl threatened to do the same to Matthew. Taking in gulps of air, trying to loosen the knot at his throat, the Venus Adept's breathing became slow and shaky. Desperately he tried to think of something – _anything_ - that could help but he knew that it was impossible. There was only the same montage of _should haves_ that came to him.

_We should've gotten here sooner. We should've acted sooner; saved her before she was able to jump into harm's way. None of this should have happened!_

The girl that had stepped in the way of the troll had not fared anywhere near as well as Sveta had. She was not even a beastman so any extra strength had not been there to save her. She was just a little girl, a child that had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Matthew had remembered seeing her, speaking to her at one point when they had toured through Belinsk. She had just been a normal girl that had wanted to enjoy the festival with her grandfather. When they talked she spoke of her belief that a dragon – Crystallux – dwelled within the opera house and that she left food for it every night and that which was always eaten.

And now she was lying upon the stage floor, her breathing soft, slow, and about to give out at any moment. One swipe from the humongous fist of the troll had shattered half the bones in her small body. The red dress that she wore was wet, soaked in the blood that matched it, with specks of it dirtying the blond hair at the top of her head. She was barely conscious, her eyes half-closed, but she still focused them upon the foot of the stage, her lips forming into a smile at what she saw.

"I knew the dragon was real…" she spoke weakly. "I mean, I knew _you_ were real…"

The crystal dragon that had saved them had its face hovering before the dying girl. With the deafening roar it had repeatedly unleashed during the battle, the low, sad rumble it made at its throat was a surprising change.

"So we have to say good-bye now?"

At the corner of his eye, Matthew saw Tyrell with his eyes pressed against his forearm, the hot-headed Adept similarly reduced to the tears that he was struggling to hold back. Amiti had his head hanging in sorrow, making small shakes as if to deny what was happening. Even Eoleo had turned his back to the scene, the man leaning heavily against his axe.

The girl paid no attention to any of them, her focus on a creature that she had been told was just a legend and a fairy tale. A legend which now hovered before her. "But we just met!"

Again the low, sad rumble from the dragon.

It was then that the girl turned her head and Matthew did his best to straighten his face as her eyes drifted upon him. "Please…take good care of this dragon…"

That was when Matthew saw the life disappear from her face. Upon seeing the girl's body still, Crystallux let out a howl of sorrow at the same time the tears now flowed freely down the Adept's face.

"We need to bury them…"

Wiping at the tears which he quickly realized was a fruitless effort, Matthew looked left to see Sveta standing beside him. Her head was bowed and her hair kept Matthew from making out any kind of expression on her face.

"They deserve that much," Sveta continued as her head sank lower. "_We_ deserve to give them that much."

"Yeah," Matthew spoke out despite the stranglehold that persisted at his throat. Approaching the girl, he knelt down to take her in his arms.

A low roar caused Matthew to stop and look to see that the dragon, Crystallux, now hovered before him. Only a couple feet of space separated them and Matthew could clearly see his reflection that glittered off the dragon's glass surface and eyes. Dragon and teen stared at one another for a long moment before it was Crystallux that drifted closer until its crystal snout was ready to brush against Matthew's shoulder. It let out another low rumble.

Somehow, Matthew knew what it desired. Lifting a hand, the Adept placed his palm upon the nose of the dragon. And it was upon making this contact that Matthew suddenly stiffened as not only a rush of power but _knowledge_ passed through his body and mind. Radiating the same bright, glow that it had created before, Crystallux soon disappeared in a shower of yellow lights that hovered around Matthew before being absorbed into his body.

Crystallux's power was now theirs to aid them on their quest.

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As Sveta had suggested, they had buried the bodies from the opera house. No one made any objection, not even Eoleo who had silently picked up one of the bodies of the guards. Matthew had carried the body of the girl and, upon reaching the grave yard, he had buried her next to her grandfather.

None of the scuttlers or any other monsters had come to interrupt this ceremony but Tyrell and Amiti had stood guard just in case. The eclipse still hovered above their heads, the fog and shadows surrounded them, but that did not dissuade them from their work. Matthew had used his psynergy to split the necessary amount of holes in the earth that they needed for the task and, upon gently placing the bodies into their resting places, had closed them back up, the earth enfolding around the latest additions of the dead.

Sveta knelt down the newly-formed graves, a bunch of flowers clasped in her uninjured hand. Matthew wondered where she got them but kept the question to himself as the beastgirl laid a flower upon each of the graves. When the last one was placed, Sveta remained kneeling before them, her head lowering. Tilting his head as he detected a noise, Matthew thought he could her Sveta speaking in soft, quiet words. Whether they were a prayer, an apology, or something else entirely Matthew wasn't sure but soon she was back on her feet, making her way towards Matthew. She did not meet his eyes.

Her other arm was still nestled in the sling that Matthew had made with his scarf which he had hastily removed and used for the task. Though psynergy could easily mend broken bones, Matthew was not as skilled as Rief and he wanted Sveta to rest it just in case. He would've asked Rief to assist in the healing but the sight of Karis, bent over to speak soft, comforting words to the young Mercury Adept that was currently curled in a ball on the ground kept Matthew from disturbing him.

"There's nothing more we can do."

Turning to look at Sveta, Matthew saw that she was still refusing to look at him, keeping her head bowed and gaze averted. He tried to say something, to comfort her as Karis was doing for Rief, but words failed him. What could he possibly say in the midst of this nightmare that continued all around them?

"My home is lost," Sveta continued in a voice that was barely audible. "My people are lost. There is no reason for us to stay and be lost ourselves."

Matthew stayed silent. It was only when Sveta walked silently past him that he turned to follow her out of the graveyard, out of this nightmare.

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**Author's Note:** This is something that I've come to notice when it comes to Dark Dawn: people _die._ And it's not like with the original games where the designated "bad guys" (Saturos, Menardi, Karst, Agatio) are the only ones to really die. Soldiers die, innocent civilians die, _children_ die. It's quite a stunning but, at the same time, an interesting change of pace that puts some extra emotion and feeling into this game…which is needed considering that half of the dialogue for our characters are emoticons .

Ah well, the same procedure applies here. If you liked the story and want to leave a review, go ahead and do that! For now, off I go to do…stuff, whether it be working on the third chapter for this fic or showing Deathwing what's what with my level 85 Undead Mage.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** Alright, this update took a bit longer than the previous ones but, as everyone knows, real life likes to get in the way at times. For example I did upgrade my computer with a new graphics card, RAM, and went from Windows XP to Windows 7 which meant that I had to reinstall and backup a few of my files during the change such as what I had already written for this chapter. And I was also finally getting around to beating Dark Dawn.

My thoughts on the game was that it was good but, unfortunately, I don't think it was as good as the previous Golden Sun games. I think Camelot tried to shove a bit too much in there at once and they went through it way too fast. For example, upon getting Himi, between retrieving her and getting to the end, I couldn't help but have the humorous thought of "Wow, you came along for nothing didn't you?" Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the game and it definitely had its moment but I hope Camelot does better next time.

And yes, for those that are curious, I did enjoy the ending, specifically with what happened concerning Matthew and Sveta. I thought Camelot had set that whole scene up well and it was simply amazing. This of course had finally pushed me over the edge to be a real Matthew/Sveta fan.

Anyway, enough with my ramblings. As you can see, this chapter is quite long and took a lot of work. So get to work folks! Enjoy!

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"Dad!"

Eoleo's cry not only startled the group but the three scorpion-like shadow monsters that had appeared on the deck of Briggs's ship.

_My dad's ship!_ Eoleo thought with vehemence. Landing upon the deck, his axe in hand, Eoleo let out his own strangled roar of despair and rage as he charged forward. Behind him, he thought he heard Matthew's order of the others to back him up but he hardly heard it, his focus concentrated directly on the lying body of his old man.

And the monsters that stood in his path.

"Out of my way!" Eoleo shouted as he charged right into the trio of monsters, focusing on the one that was right in the center of the formation.

Like the scuttlers, these new monsters were creatures that should not exist. Though twisted and warped by whatever darkness it was that empowered them, the monsters still held a resemblance to the scorpions that he had used to crush upon sighting them. They possessed two pincers that could easily crush or even snip off any of his limbs…or his head and there was what he assumed would be a tail on its back.

Except instead of one there were two tails that were probably smaller than one would've been. But he had to assume that the sharp, wicked-looking tips at the ends were just as sharp…and probably just as venomous as any normal scorpion. Perhaps even moreso. Briggs would've been proud with how Eoleo ignored such odds and went in headfirst anyway.

_He will be proud!_ came the fierce thought. _He'll get up on his feet, have a laugh, and then we'll head down to get a drink, wondering how mom will take this latest adventure._

Eoleo's axe came swinging upon making contact with the first scorpion who already had a pincer poised and ready to take in the pirate to crush him. Upon the pincer reaching out to snag him, however, Eoleo's axe met it head on. The black, armored carapace – thicker than that of the scuttlers – kept the pincer from being cleaved in two but the strength and ferocity that Eoleo put behind his own swing had nonetheless deflected it, sending not only the pincer back but even the monster skittered back a couple feet to put some distance between it and the pirate.

Not that Eoleo would give it any kind of break. The pirate immediately leaped forward, his axe coming up and down in an overhead swing to drive the blade through its head and into whatever it had for a brain. Unfortunately, the pincers came into play as the monster raised it protectively over its head, catching Eoleo's blade before responding by stabbing at him with the twin tails at its back.

Pulling his axe away, Eoleo sidestepped, letting the vicious tips fly past him and strike the deck of the ship. Before it had a chance to pull its tails back, Eoleo swung down and completely severed them. Screeching, the twisted scorpion skittered backwards, the severed ends of its tails dripping black gore all over it and its red eyes, temporarily blinding it. Seeing his chance, Eoleo lifted a hand.

His dad had mentioned how Felix and the others had used such powers and that Eoleo had apparently gained such talents in the use of what was called psynergy. As a pirate who continually clashed with armed resistance, Eoleo had gotten plenty of training and found much usefulness with his powers. He had even found djinni which had better supplemented his powers.

And as Eoleo concentrated, he made use of those powers. Behind the pirate, flames suddenly ignited from out of nowhere and these flames shifted and morphed to create the exact replica of a dragon. It was this dragon that flung itself over Eoleo and at the scorpion. Twisting and roaring as it shot forward, the dragon enveloped the monster, bathing it in flames before it exploded, sending a shower of sparks and fire along the deck of the ship.

When the smoke cleared, the scorpion was still alive but barely standing, its carapace now charred, completely blown apart in some areas. And when Eoleo brought his axe down on its head, it was too weak to bring up its pincers in defense, especially as one of them was missing, allowing the pirate's blade to cut straight through.

While Eoleo struggled to pull his axe from between the creature's eyes, one of the other two suddenly appeared at the corner of his eye. Still healthy and possessing all its appendages, the scorpion ran at Eoleo, its pincers out and open and its tails raised.

And, after leaping into its path, Sveta punched it in the face.

Despite how her arm had just been in a sling – which was still hanging from around her neck – it was apparently well enough for her to put it to good use. And though such an attack would've injured any normal human's hand, the strength that Sveta inherited from being a beastman and her brass knuckles allowed her smash her fist into the scorpion's face. There was a brief flicker of pain that crossed her features nonetheless – perhaps her arm having not fully healed after all – but the girl was already following her attack through with a vicious right hook.

Eoleo's first instinct was to help her and return the favor, but as the scorpion turned to face this new threat, Matthew was suddenly at its other side, stabbing his blade in between sections of the carapace and apparently striking home as black blood flowed where his weapon struck. With the third scorpion facing similar opposition – Amiti launching an arrow into one of its eyes while Tyrell slashed at its newly-created blind spot –, Eoleo was fine to leave it in their hands now; he had more important things to worry about.

"Dad!"

Tossing his axe to the side, Eoleo knelt down next to the laying body of his father. There was movement, the steady breathing that caused Briggs's chest to rise and fall, and it was a sign that he was alive.

"How bad is it, dad?" Eoleo questioned as he hovered over him, trying to find a sign of any injury that may've befallen the legendary pirate.

He nearly sank with relief when Briggs opened his eyes, though they were only half opened. But he breathed and that was fine with Eoleo, and he saw the recognition in Briggs's eyes when the father looked at the son and that was fine with him too. Any sign that showed that his father was going to live was fine with him.

The first words that his father spoke, however, immediately put that fear back into him.

"I had a good run," Briggs breathed out and Eoleo's heart was taken by an invisible hand and crushed at how weak those words sound. "Lived my life free…answered to no man…"

"What're you talking about?" Eoleo asked; his own words nearly just as soft as he addressed his father. "You're too tough to let this end."

That's when he saw it. His father having had his hands at his chest, Briggs slowly slid them off to reveal the injury. There were two puncture wounds at his chest, easily piercing through his uniform and into his flesh. There was hardly any blood but Eoleo could make out the faintest signs of something much more terrible. At the edges around the wounds the skin had become a sickly, green coloring and there was even some of that color mixed within what little blood flowed. It was venom.

More specifically, it was the venom of one of the monsters that the others now fought. One of them must've snuck on board when his father had docked, had confronted him and managed to wound him. And now he was dying.

_He came to save me, _Eoleo thought to himself. _I saw him come to save me when I was in that cage and he came back to try again. But now he's dying because of me._

"Tell your mother I'm sorry to leave her alone…" Briggs spoke again, bringing Eoleo back to the present. "…and take care of Champa for me…"

His father had always been a strong man and he was what Eoleo had wanted to be like when he was a kid. Considered as a hero of Champa, Briggs spent more time out at sea then land with his crew. Like any other pirate he did his attacking and plundering but it had always been for the good of Champa. He was inspiring, liked by not only the citizens of Champa but, more importantly, his crew. They trusted him with his life, even if it meant throwing themselves at an enemy like the beastmen at Belinsk.

The image had never changed, even when Eoleo had grown older; his father was still the charismatic, strong, brave man that everyone knew him to be.

But now, lying at his feet, he could see how _old_ his father had become more clearly than ever before. The gray beard and hair, the wrinkled skin, all on a body that now looked small and weak; a fact that was usually masked by Briggs's uniform and cape. And it was a body that was starting to finally fail as Briggs's eyes closed, his breathing slowing even more, his body coming still.

"Dad!" Eoleo cried, sounding more like a plea to the inevitable. He tried to think of something, _anything_ to say and his mind whirled with thoughts of what final words he should be saying. And yet another part was denying all this, denying that Briggs was actually dying.

But the truth made itself known when Briggs finally stilled. When he finally stopped breathing. When, right in front of Eoleo's eyes, he died.

For one moment, everything ceased. Only able to stare with wide eyes in disbelief, Eoleo's raging thoughts paused, his mind blanking. For that one moment he wasn't sure if he was alive as he felt everything inside him stop; his mind, his heart, and his lungs.

And then it all hit him at once. There was regret at having managed to drag Briggs into this, for getting him killed, for not being able to save him, for not even being able to give his father some decent parting words. There was disbelief that Briggs was actually dead, that this would be the end of his old man, that maybe Rief or one of the other Adepts could bring him back. Rage for who was responsible for this whether it be Tuaparang, Volechek, or the monster that had poisoned his father.

And, finally, there was the bottomless, infinite pit of pain and sorrow that swelled within him, threatening to consume him until he felt his body try to expunge it, to release it unless it truly destroyed him. Raising his head to the dark skies, Eoleo released that it all in a scream that took his pain and formed it into one, simple word that conveyed all that tormented him.

"NO!"

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_Cinderbloom_, Eoleo thought after he took a sip, looking at the pint that he held in his hand. _Dad's favorite._

Cinderbloom was a rare herb that was found around Champa. It added a nice kick when added to your standard rum and Briggs had liked it a lot when Champa, having gotten back on its feet, started harvesting the herb. Expensive stuff but Briggs always had at least a couple bottles around the ship at all times. It helped when you were considered as a hero in Champa.

He would still be remembered as a hero but what good, exactly, was it now that he's dead

_How am I going to tell mom about this?_

Eoleo hadn't been able to dwell on such thoughts, only now having the opportunity to do so. Their troubles had hardly ended when they did manage to set sail from Belinsk as monsters hadn't been the only thing that the Grave Eclipse – as Kraden had called it - produced what could only be described as a maelstrom that had been waiting to greet the traveling Adepts. And despite being Adepts the storm had nearly sunk them. Pushing thoughts of his father's death aside, Eoleo had been on the deck with the rest, shouting orders to the teens and hurrying them along in tasks that were meant to increase the chances of them staying above the water.

Somehow his dad's ship had managed to hold and even Eoleo had exerted the same disbelief as the other Adepts that they had come out of it alive. Having seen his father come for him when he had been a captive, Eoleo knew that his father had failed and his ship had suffered from the doomed attack. Upon inquiring Matthew, he had been told that his father had brought his ship to Port Rago for repairs…which he didn't complete as he had set sail for Belinsk before said repairs had been fully completed.

Somehow the old girl managed to stay together. For once Eoleo was starting to see why his dad had his heart to this old ship despite its age and his refusal to replace it; it held plenty of surprises. Hopefully the ship would continue to surprise him as they continued on their next mission.

_Which involves making the ones responsible pay, _Eoleo thought and his hand tightened around his ale, almost threatening to crush the flagon itself.

"_Eoleo, are you sure this is what you want?" Kraden asked, his old eyes staring at the pirate with concern._

_Eoleo didn't reply, not right away, and he just continued to stare at the wooden coffin that was balanced precariously on the edge of the old pirate ship. Finally, however, he nodded slowly before replying, "Dad lived his life on the sea…this is how he'd want it."_

_It was a notorious truth between the citizens of Champa that Briggs spent more time out at sea then on land. As a child, Eoleo had stood upon the docks of Champa with his mother countless times as they saw Briggs heading out on his latest adventure. Each time Eoleo would wear this grin on his face and look upon his father with awe before the old man would board his ship and sail out, waving to his family and all of Champa as he did so._

"_One day, son," Briggs would always say as he ruffled Eoleo's hair._

_Sure, such an arrangement may have kept Briggs from spending too much time with his boy but that all changed when Eoleo was old enough to go with his father on his adventures. Father and son, both having the blood of seafaring pirates, working side by side as Briggs passed down all his skills and knowledge to him. Seeing the world together, getting in all sorts of trouble, always smiling and heading to bed with the latest batch of spoils tucked away in the hold._

_Always talking about what they would do next…_

_Bowing his head low to the point of where his chin was touching his chest, Eoleo placed a hand upon the coffin. "Dad, I-I wish I'd known you'd be gone so soon. Guess I thought I still had time…" His hand clenched into a fist and he gave the coffin a quick, hard pound. "But I swear I'm going to make the ones who did this pay. However long it takes."_

_Eoleo paused to swallow hard, trying to cut off the knot that was starting to gather at his throat before it could fully form. His hands started to shake but the pirate held them tight to the corners of the coffin to keep them still._

"_So rest in peace, Dad," he finished, his muscles flexing as he pushed. "I've got it from here."_

After he had pushed the coffin over the side, Eoleo had watched it float away, his father now at rest. When the fog of the Grave Eclipse made it too difficult to keep track of it, the pirate had turned and sworn his loyalty to Matthew and made a vow that he would assist him in his quest. Matthew had, of course, accepted.

Not that he had a choice; the ship that they were using was now Eoleo's after all.

Even if the ship currently had no clear destination. Their plan had only really consisted of leaving Belinsk and getting out of the blight that was the Grave Eclipse that had expanded outward for miles over both land and sea. The storm had not been their only concern either as the shadow-spawned monsters were quite adept at attacking them on not onlyland but on sea as well. But now that they were sailing on smooth waters and clear skies, their plan had mostly transformed into finding what settlements they could and warn the people about the Grave Eclipse.

Until finding such a settlement, Eoleo was quite happy to just sit back and consume what alcohol he could.

"Would you happen to have something that didn't have such a high concentration of alcohol?"

Eoleo closed his eyes and his head _thunked_ solidly against the table upon hearing the voice. Taking a deep breath, he slowly blew it out through his nose before raising his head and looking at the speaker.

"Oh great," he sighed. "What do you want?"

Amiti's brows lowered briefly, the beginnings of the usual glare that he tended to throw at Eoleo's way. Strangely, the Mercury Adept seemed to catch himself in the midst of that action and his features softened into a more neutral stare. "I was looking to see if you had anything I could drink."

Eoleo rolled his eyes. "Haven't you heard the stories? I'm sure you people liked to joke about how we only had more rum then loot on our ships. Maybe something about how our desire for loot is just a way to gather funds in our eternal quest to be completely and constantly smashed?"

Amiti's brows once again lowered and his mouth opened to deliver a quick retort. And yet again he stopped himself, his lips immediately closing before he could. "I'm just looking for some water."

Eoleo tilted his head to the side, confused. "What? Not feeling up for some insults? A good verbal spar against a living blight that visits upon the shores of the innocence to rape and blunder like the uneducated barbarian that he is?"

This time Amiti couldn't hold his tongue and muttered a quick, "A wordy one today aren't you?" He recovered though and, louder, he said, "No. Just water."

Now it was Eoleo's turn to lower his brows but instead of anger or annoyance he displayed a narrow-eyed, searching face that examined Amiti, wondering what his game was. The Mercury Adept, to his credit, kept his neutral stare and waited quietly and patiently. Allowing a minute to tick past and still receiving no kind of verbal rebuke whatsoever, Eoleo finally nodded his head to one of the shelves that lined the wall. "Third one on the left; we store up some fresh water because, in a surprisingly display of intelligence no doubt, we know that there are some things that water can work better for then alcohol."

Amiti kept his silence and walked over to the designated shelf, scooping up an empty flagon as he did so in order to procure his drink. Still in his seat, Eoleo kept track of Amiti's path, his eyes still narrowed and seeming to try and search for any signs of funny business that Amiti might be wishing to try. But if Amiti was looking to start trouble the pirate saw no sign and when the Mercury Adept started pouring his water, Eoleo finally pushed it out of his mind and turned back to his ale, happy to continue with his peaceful drinking.

That was until Amiti took a seat next to him.

His flagon having been about to touch his lips, Eoleo froze upon seeing the Mercury Adept at the corner of his eye. Looking to Amiti, he soon found that the teen was there to meet his gaze.

"You don't mind if I sit here do you?" Amiti questioned. Not waiting for a reply, he quickly faced forward and picked up his water, taking large and yet quick gulps.

_What is he on?_ Eoleo thought, bewildered at the attitude of the Adept. His ale forgotten, Eoleo placed his flagon on the table and simply stared at the teen, wondering what was going on. For as long as Eoleo had known him – which wasn't really long -, Amiti had said nothing unless it was some form of insult to throw at Eoleo. In fact, he had always been prone to throw one out at every opportunity that he could get.

Where did this change come from all of a sudden?

"What?" Eoleo questioned. "Now that I'm captain you afraid I'll toss you overboard if you insult me?"

"No," Amiti replied calmly, taking another sip of water.

"There it is again!" Eoleo pointed a finger at Amiti. "No, 'Like you can try' or 'Good luck' or 'If you can manage to not fall off yourself'? You going to say anything like that to me?"

"No."

"Are you trying to slip poison into my ale? Sore that I didn't get boiled in Belinsk?"

"No."

"Then what?" Eoleo asked, exasperated now. "Why are you even sitting with me? I figured you would want to be with the rest of those kids?"

This time Amiti made no reply. Eoleo waited for it but when the silence only continued between them, when all Amiti did was continue to take sips of water, the pirate threw up his hands in defeat. Content with just ignoring the blue-haired teen, Eoleo retrieved his flagon and was about to stand up and go find another table that wasn't this one before Amiti spoke again, stopping him.

"In Ayuthay," Amiti started quickly though his eyes were focused on his water, "I suppose I…well…I didn't really know a lot of things that I had originally thought to be true. I mean it was only recently that my uncle had told me that my mother wasn't who I thought she was. She died before I could really get to know her and I kind of just…all I had were the stories that people told about her. Stories that I thought were true only to discover that they were in fact false."

"Your point?" Eoleo asked though there was no heat to it.

Amiti glanced at Eoleo, then back to his water, then back at Eoleo, and then repeated. Finally, the teen sighed and faced Eoleo fully. "I never met a pirate before. All I've heard were stories, especially about you and your father. The great scourges of the Eastern Seas, bringing about terror and hardships to the innocent, the king and prince to the most abominable kingdom of ruthless scoundrels and thieves, and other things like that."

Eoleo nodded but remained silent, wondering where this was going.

"And now I find myself owing my life to one. So I just thought I'd come down and…" Amiti trailed off and seemed to struggle with the next set of words. "…I guess what I want to ask…is…well…about you. About other people like you, I mean. And also about the man who I owe my life to."

Again Eoleo was only able to stare at Amiti as the pirate tried to process the request, not able to understand despite how the teen had just told him exactly what he wanted. Looking particularly embarrassed, Amiti drew his focus on the table, already coming up with an excuse to leave. Then there came a sudden, painful slap on his back that nearly knocked Amiti from his seat.

"So you want to hear the truth about us pirate lords, eh?" Eoleo asked loudly, suddenly in good cheer. "Well come no further, kid! Here!" Taking his flagon, Eoleo knocked it against Amiti's knocking the teen's to the floor and spilling water everywhere. The Mercury Adept was about to leap up and clean the mess but Eoleo put an arm around the teen's shoulders, keeping him in place while he placed his ale in front of him.

"Have yourself a drink, a real drink and I'll tell you all that you need to know! Let's see…I think the best place to start is at the beginning. You see, there was this little village called Champa. A poor village back in the day believe it or not and my old man sought to change it all with a new ship and some fateful encounters with the legendary Warriors of Vale!"

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After taking a peek into one of the bunks, Tyrell looked to Karis. "Yeah, he's in there."

Karis sighed. "I was afraid of that. And you hadn't seen him come out at all?"

Putting his hand to his chin, Tyrell gave it a moment of thought before shaking his head. "No I haven't. I mean yeah he was out there helping us get through the storm but once that passed he kind of disappeared. Haven't seen him since whether it's to get some chow or just walking around."

"So he's been in there for at least a day." Leaning against her staff, Karis looked towards the room, a look of concern on her face. "I had hoped that he would be fine after we left Belinsk but it seems that he's still a bit distressed about what happened."

"So…what are we supposed to do?"

Karis gave Tyrell a glare. "What do you think? We're going to talk to him!"

Tyrell looked towards the room and then back at Karis, raising a brow. "You want me to talk to him? I'm not sure if I'm exactly the person meant to do that."

"Just come on!" Karis snapped and gave Tyrell a shove. "I'll do the talking! Just be there for moral support!"

The shove had caused Tyrell to stumble through the door and into the room. In fact, upon completely losing his footing, the Mars Adept slipped and fell on his face.

Despite such a display, however, Rief didn't even move from his spot atop of his bunk. Like back at the graveyard in Belinsk, the young Mercury Adept had his body curled into a ball with his arms wrapped around his legs, pressing them against his chest. Upon Tyrell's entrance, Rief glanced at the intruder but otherwise made no noise or any kind of acknowledgement towards him. When Karis stepped in, giving Rief a wave, she only received the same treatment.

"How's it going buddy?" Tyrell asked from his position on the floor. Propped up on one elbow, he waved at Rief.

"Fine," Rief replied, his voice muffled behind his gathered legs.

"We came to check up on you," Karis explained, walking across the room so that she could take a seat on the edge of the bunk. "We haven't seen you all day."

"Or the day before or the day before that," Tyrell interjected and would've continued had Karis not extended a leg and kicked the elbow that he was using to support himself, dropping him back to the floor with a _thud_.

"I'm fine," Rief spoke again over the two's antics.

"Come on," Karis pressed, a gentle smile on her face. Patting Rief's knee, she jerked her head to the door. "We can go get something to eat. You have to be starving."

"I'm not hungry."

"Well I'm starving!" Tyrell spoke out again.

Though not lashing out with another kick, the intensity that came from the glare that Karis sent his way silenced the Mars Adept. But almost like magic, that same violent intensity that hinted to unimaginable pain if the Adept spoke out again was suddenly erased when Karis looked back to Rief, care and concern gracing her features as well as her voice as she continued with, "Come on Rief, it's not healthy to be cooped up in here for so long."

"I'm fine" Rief insisted, his eyes averted to avoid looking at Kari in the eye. "I just want some time for myself to…think."

"About the girl?" Tyrell questioned. Having managed to get back up to his feet this time, the red-haired Adept had approached closer to the bunk and was now standing over Rief with his arms crossed over his chest. "It wasn't your fault Rief, everyone knows that. You did what you could and…" He shrugged helplessly, "Sometimes bad things happen."

Again Karis gave him a look though this was more for warning him away, obviously not liking Tyrell's direct approach. Her worries seemed to be justified where there was a noticable shift from Rief, the Mercury Adept clutching at his legs just a little tighter while burying his head just a little further.

"It's not that," Rief spoke softly. "Well…it is, I guess. But that's only part of it. It's just that it shouldn't have happened."

"Of course it shouldn't have," Karis quickly cut in. "We were just tricked; we all were. No one could've expected Blados and Chalis to try and bring about something like the Grave Eclipse. Tyrell's right, it's not your fault for what happened."

Rief shook his head. "No, that's not the problem either. It's just that…" Trailing off, Rief visibly struggled, fidgeting on the bunk, his eyes closed, trying to think of an expalantion for what troubled him so. Finally, Rief pointed at Tyrell. "Look at you!"

Both Karis and Tyrell blinked in surprise at that. Turning her head, Karis looked at Tyrell to find that he was already looking at her before looking down at himself and then at Rief, wanting an explanation. When none came immediately, Tyrell looked down at himself again while scratching at his head. "What about me?"

"It's not just you!" Rief insisted. Seeming to be given a sudden fire, Rief unfolded from his ball, letting his legs hang over his bunk while his hands gripped the sheets. "It's you and Karis and Matthew! Even Amiti and Eoleo!"

"What?" Karis asked, her eyes wide and blinking rapdily while her mind tried to make sense of what he was saying. "Rief, I don't understand. What are you saying?"

"I don't belong!" His hands raising from the bed, Rief smacked them against his chest. "I'm not like you guys! " Pointing at Tyrell he continued, "You and Matthew had trained for this! Your fathers had trained you and taught you when you were children so that you may follow in their footsteps to defend the world just as they had done!"

Rief then swung his finger to Karis who couldn't help but jerk back as if she had been about to be slapped. "You too! Everyone says how smart you are, just like your father! You and Matthew had went through Tanglewood together to save Tyrell even with the appearance of a Psynergy Vortex! You can use the soarwing and were probably going to be the one to help train the others on how to use it!"

Finally, Rief pointed at himself. "But what about me? When I saw my first Vortex, I nearly fell into it like an idiot while you guys were defeating soldiers of Tuaparang! I was the one who got captured by them and left in a box to distract you and lead you into a trap! And I wasn't even being trained as a warrior! Kraden was teaching me to perhaps be a scholar just like him! That's all I am!"

"Rief…" Karis tried andfailed to speak. Next to her, Tyrell just stood in stunned silence.

"I don't belong!" Rief continued. "Especially with what we're facing now! The Grave Eclipse that's leaving most of Angara in darkness with thousands of monsters dwelling within! The threat that it will happen to the rest of the world and lead to the deaths of every single person! I'm not someone that's meant to stand up to something like this, to save everyone from it! I couldn't even save one girl…"

The depression that had enveloped Rief moments ago seemed to be returning. The sudden fire dying in his eyes, Rief hung his head, his hands letting go of the sheets and resting limply upon the bunk. "What possible difference can I make? This isn't something that I was meant for and never will be."

Still frozen in place at the edge of the bunk, Karis was only able to stare at Rief. Her lips parting ever so slightly, a shadow of an attempt to make an argument to these outrageous claims, the Jupiter Adept was only first able to say, "That's not true…"

"Damn right it's not!"

There was a sudden movement that Karis noticed at the corner of her eye but before she could even look, could even react, she was only able to watch as a pair of hands seized the front of Rief's shirt and lift him up from the bed.

The Mercury Adept seemed just as bewildered as Karis. Suddenly finding himself hanging a foot above the floor, Rief 's feet kicked uselessly at air while he gripped at the hands that now held him so. Though his glasses were slightly skewed, Karis could still see the open shock and underlying fear in his eyes as he stared wide-eyed at Tyrell. Tyrell, his hands holding tight to Rief's shirt, shook the smaller Adept violently.

"What you're saying is nonsense!" Tyrell shouted in Rief's face. "Not making any difference? Is that what you just said?"

"I-uh-but-well," Rief babbled only to be cut off when the Mars Adept shook him again, causing his glasses to fall completely off his face this time. Karis, having come to her senses in time, managed to quickly reach out and catch them before they hit the floor.

"There were more than just our dads that saved the world!" Tyrell continued, not at all relaxing his grip on Rief. "Your mom is considered as a Warrior of Vale isn't she? She helped them by healing their most grievous of injuries so that they could keep going right? Well, didn't she?"

"Well yes but-!"

"But nothing!" Tyrell pulled Rief forward so that they were now staring eye-to-eye with each other. "Who healed up my leg when it got crushed by that Mountain Roc? Or healed those ungodly amount of poisons and diseases that we all got? Karis may be good with those plasmas but even one stomach ache can ruin it all for her!"

"Hey!" Karis started. "I'm standing right-"

"I could toss you around the room if I want to!"

"Please don't!"

Rief nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yes, please don't!"

"Of course I'm not going to! I'm just saying that when that wolf nearly took off my hand I couldn't do it! But who healed that so that it was as good as new in a minute?"

"Me?" Rief spoke uncertainly.

"Of course you! What about when Matthew, our fearless leader, twisted his ankle during the mountain climb to Passaj? " Tyrell gave him another shake. "You healed that too didn't you? There's been so many injuries and plagues that you've healed and allowed us to keep going! You're an important part of this team Rief! Right?"

This time Rief nodded his head quickly at the Mars Adept's encouragement. "Okay okay yes! I am!"

"That's right!"

And then Tyrell headbutted him.

"Tyrell!" Karis cried in alarm.

His own eyes having gone wide upon realizing what he had just done, Tyrell quickly let go of Rief, letting the younger Adept drop back to the bunk. While Rief laid there and held his head, Tyrell looked to Karis and held up his hands defensively. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I went overboard!"

"You're going to be tossed overboard!" Her violet eyes narrowed in anger, Karis jumped to her feet and glared at Tyrell, her hand gripping tight on her staff. Electricity briefly crackled around the Jupiter Adept, a visible display of the psynergy that was gathering…and her intent as she stepped towards the Mars Adept that now cowered before her.

"You do this all the time! Such as when you set fire to Patcher's Place and, speaking of which, weren't you nearly about to do that _again_ when we went to the Psynergy Training Grounds? And, oh yes, who was it that got us on this quest in the first place when they stole my father's soarwing and completely and utterly _wrecked it_?"

"I'm sorry!" Tyrell apologized quickly as he backed away, his hands up as if they would be able to ward off any blow – whether physical or magical – that Karis may decide to send his way. "I'm _so_ sorry! Please don't kill me!"

"Don't worry, I'm saving that one for last with what I'm going to do to you," Karis threatened, raising her staff.

"Karis stop!"

Her staff in mid-raise and Tyrell in mid-cowering, Karis froze at the voice that interrupted her. Though she kept her staff raised and a command for a Whirlwind that would launch Tyrell off the ship at the tip of her tongue, she turned to the bunk where Rief had been dropped by Tyrell. Having apparently recovered, Rief had managed to bring himself up to a seated position, his one hand rubbing at his forehead where Tyrell had struck him.

"Are you all right?" Karis asked in concern though a heated glance at Tyrell clearly showed that she hadn't forgotten about him.

"Fine." A blue aura glowed around the hand at his head and Rief held it there for a few seconds. "Nothing that I can't fix." When the aura vanished, Rief slid off the bunk so that he could stand on his two feet. "You don't have to hurt Tyrell."

"You sure?" Karis brandished her staff at Tyrell who flinched at it, expecting some bodily harm "I can give him a bash on the head if you want."

"No…it's fine. I think that actually cleared my head a little." Taking a deep breath, Rief looked over at Tyrell who still remained where he was, afraid that the barest twitch of a muscle would incur Karis's wrath. "Tyrell…thanks."

Glancing at Karis to make sure that she stayed where she was, Tyrell thought it safe enough to speak. "For what?"

"You're right." Smiling, Rief shook his head. "I may not have been trained as a warrior like you and Karis but that doesn't mean I can't help. Mom had been Imil's healer when she joined with Isaac and the others but, you're right, she still managed to prove herself with the psynergy that I've inherited from her. Maybe that's all I need to prove myself as well…"

Finally lowering her staff, Karis looked from Rief to Tyrell, wondering what to do next as silence reigned between the trio. Seeing that as a sign of safety, Tyrell finally relaxed and focused on Rief. "Sooo…you want to get out of this room?"

Rief nodded. "Yeah…that sounds like a good idea. I've actually been thinking about my sister. With all that happened I didn't think to ask Kraden where she went when we met up with him. Maybe I should go find him and ask him."

"A good idea," Karis agreed. Stepping aside to let Rief pass, she watched as the Mercury Adept walked passed her and Tyrell and exited the room. When he did, she turned back to Tyrell who continued to look upon her with uncertainty and fear. "You said you were hungry right? Let's get something to eat."

Not yet daring to move, Tyrell waited to be sure that Karis wasn't about to lash out at him. When she didn't and actually motioned him to the door, he finally relaxed. "Food sounds good; I'm starving."

"Well let's go."

"So we're good right?"

Karis nodded. "Yeah, we're good." Pausing, seeming to struggle with something, she couldn't help but add, "Good job by the way."

"Thanks. I guess might overreactions aren't so bad after all."

Karis jabbed him with her staff. "Don't push it."

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_It's just like the Magma Orb. Makes me wonder as to what kind of horrific weapon it activates._

But while the Magma Orb had been red, the orb that Matthew held in his hand was blue. Able to be held in the palm of his hand, the Venus Adept allowed his fingers to caress its smooth surface while dark thoughts clouded his mind. The small size didn't fool him as he had come to realize what power could be possessed by such ancient artifacts that had come from an equally ancient civilization.

_The Magma Orb had been the key to the Alchemy Dynamo's activation, _Matthew continued thinking to himself. _And it caused the darkness that had enveloped Belinsk and then annihilated it with the monsters that came from it._

It had only been a couple days since they had managed to evacuate from Belinsk and thus the memories were still fresh in his mind. Fresh and brutally harsh.

While everyone else had decided to retire below the deck of Eoleo's ship, Matthew had decided to remain up top. So it was here that he found himself, leaning against one of the rails of the ship, surrounding by the smell and sound of the sea and this grim reminder of all that they had caused weighing heavy in his hand and his heart.

_I'm sorry dad. I failed you._

How could've they screwed this up so completely? The time that the past couple of days had given him allowed Matthew to review the events of…everything. In the face of the horrors that they had inadvertently unleashed upon not only Belinsk but nearly all of Weyard, Matthew had wondered how such a thing could've possibly happened.

_All this only started when dad and I took a trip to town, _Matthew remembered the event that felt like a whole lifetime ago. _ We came home, Garet came to greet us, and then we looked up to find Tyrell with the soarwing and Karis trying to stop him from taking off._

Which of course led to Tyrell wrecking the soarwing, Matthew and Karis having been sent out to Tanglewood with Isaac and Garet to save him, their first ever viewing of the Psynergy Vortex while fighting a giant, carnivorous plant. That's what had all been that concerned them; the strange Vortexes and the fear of another Mourning Moon. Not secretive, militarized nations or secret weapons and machines that had been built and then forgotten over the years only to be uncovered by those who had no idea what they were dealing with.

They had been sent to retrieve a feather; that was all. To make another soarwing all they had to do was get a feather from the legendary Mountain Roc. They had been sent to meet up with Kraden who would help them on their quest. For fun they stopped at Patcher's Place, completed the Psynergy Training Grounds while they were there, and then they got sidetracked when Rief was captured and used to lure the trio away from their main path.

Harapa, Passaj, the activation of the Alchemy Forge, then the matter with Ayuthay and Kaocho. They made new friends such as Amiti as well as new enemies in the form Emperor Ko and his general while activating another ancient device known as the Alchemy Well. At Te Rya they met Sveta who they had yet to realize was the princess of Belinsk when they first came face-to-face within the Teppe Ruins. They had also met Hou Zan and Ryu Kou who's sister was held in Belinsk. At Kolima Forest they purged the dreaded nightmares that had plagued the innocent villagers and met with Tret and Laurel, the former having known so much about the children and their parents. At Port Rago they made with another family "friend" known as the pirate Briggs who told them about his son being held prisoner. And then they got to Talon Peak…

_That's where everything went wrong,_ Matthew thought sourly. Instead of just retrieving the feather, they had killed the Mountain Roc. And, upon venturing into its gullet, hoping to possess the Magma Orb so that Blados and Chalis couldn't use it, Ryu Kou stole the orb with the thought of using it to save his sister. Though they tried to sneak through the ruins beneath Belinsk to stop him…it had been too late.

That's how it went. A nice, beautiful day in town with his father and then the terror of the Grave Eclipse. Belinsk, which had been in the throes of celebration, found itself being invaded by monsters with its population overrun and killed. And now all of Weyard was in danger.

_And this orb has to power to save us…or make it worse._

Volechek had never said what it was, just having assumed it was a key for a weapon that Blados had hoped to activate before the king had stolen it. In what he hoped was a final act of redemption, Volechek had given the orb to his sister and told her to flee with the rest so that they may fix what he started.

_Sveta…_

Throughout these reconciliations Matthew constantly thought of Sveta…which was quickly followed by guilt and shame whenever he did. When they had first met she had thought she had found friends that she thought could help her with what was going on with her brother; specifically his dealings with the Tuaparang agents and his quest to claim a weapon of vast, terrible power. And instead they doomed her brother, her people, and her home, leaving her an orphan that had lost everything.

_She must hate me._

"Matthew?"

The Venus Adept nearly jumped upon hearing the voice behind him, almost causing him to drop the blue orb that he held into the sea which would've been a huge blunder. Holding it protectively to his chest, Matthew turned around to come face-to-face with who he found to be constantly on his mind.

"Sveta…"

…_I'm sorry._

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Clutching the blue orb to her chest, Sveta looked up into the darkened skies of Belinsk. Having refused to look at him ever since they had buried the dead, Matthew could now see the torment that was displayed on the girl's face. Though her ears were high and alert, her face was pale and even with the fog Matthew could see the tears that brimmed at her eyes.

"Where are you going?" Sveta asked aloud. "You can't stay in Belinsk!"

Normally it would've been impossible for Matthew to see what tormented Sveta so. But like before what had to be Sveta's sporadic Spirit Sense affected him just as it did her. When he turned to look in the same direction that she was, it was like Matthew was given a superimposed image of the Eclipse Tower that stretched high over Belinsk.

On top of it was Volechek. Though with Sveta where you can see clear signs of a more human appearance of her form, Volecheck certainly possessed the more bestial appearance of his race. Possessing a face that was more lupine and fur that completely covered his face and body, Matthew would've never known that he was Sveta's brother had he not been informed of it before.

"Where can I go but here?"

Despite the sheer distance that separated them, Matthew was able to hear Volecheck as if he was standing right next to him. It was not as if he was hearing the words through his own two ears but was also hearing them in his mind.

Matthew watched as Sveta bit her lip, her arms holding the blue orb tight as if afraid to let it go. To let her brother go. "Come with us!"

Again this strange enhancement to both sight and sound allowed Matthew to see the king's head slowly shake in negative and hear his next words. "I am king of Morgal. I cannot leave our capital when my own misjudgment may have destroyed it."

"Then I will stay with you."

Turning to Matthew, Sveta thrust the blue orb towards him. Surprised, Matthe was not expecting it and haphazardly threw up his hands to take hold of the orb when she thrust it against him. By the time he had taken possession of the orb and sought to place it in his pouch, Sveta's focus was back to the side of the ship, her head moving this way and that to try and find a way back to Belinsk. Easier said than done as they had already been floating away from the dock before they even took notice of Volechek. When he looked Matthew was able to see a fuzzy silhouette of what had to be the docks.

"No, dear sister," came Volecheck again. "I am the king, and you are the last of our line. My duty is to stay…yours is to live."

"No! I refuse!" Turning back again, Sveta looked past Matthew, towards Eoleo who was standing at the ship's wheel, slowly navigating the ship away from Belinsk. "Dock the boat and let me off!"

Matthew looked also in time to see Eoleo stare back at Sveta. Slowly, he shook his head. Matthew did his best to hold back the sigh of relief.

But that wasn't the end of it. Turning to in the direction of the docks, Sveta gripped the rail of the ship. With a quick jump, she got one foot on as well, her eyes looking down at the dark waters below her.

She was going to jump off!

"Sveta, no!"

The cry came from Karis and Matthew, as if propelled to act by it, quickly lunged forward. Sveta had been poised to jump, her muscles tensing as she stared at the waters and then the docks, calculating how long it would take for her to reach it and thus her brother. But that was when Matthew wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her away from the edge.

"Let me go!"

Matthew had always admired Sveta's physical strength but when he felt like his arms were going to be pulled out of his sockets, he immediately cursed at it. Her arms pinned to her sides by Matthew's, Sveta kicked and struggled to pull herself out from his grasp. He felt her hands at his sides and he was glad that he managed to pin her arms as he was afraid as to how far Sveta would go to reach her brother to the point of using her claws to break free.

Her feet were still free and Matthew let out a pained grunt when he felt a sudden kick to his shins. Nonetheless he continued to hold on, refusing to let go, even when Sveta kicked at him again. When he felt a third savage kick to his leg, Matthew couldn't remain standing and fell to the deck. He still held on and thus when he fell so did Sveta. Upon landing on the floor Matthew heard a painful gasp from Sveta and the Venus Adept was reminded of her previous injuries, making him afraid that this was further hurting her arm or ribs.

"Good-bye, Sveta. I pray you live a long and happy life."

Whether it was the fall or her brother's words, Sveta stilled in Matthew's arms. Fearing that it was the former, Matthew dared to loosen his grip on Sveta as he turned his head to see if she was alright.

"Good-bye, Volechek…"

The tears that had been gathering at her eyes now fell from her face as Sveta cried silently. Seeming to no longer wish to join her brother, finally accepting what was happening, the Jupiter Adept had ceased fighting against Matthew and instead just lay against him, her body limp, her ears low and sad while she whimpered.

His arms having been holding fast around hers, Matthew finally released her. Instead, his arms went higher, wrapping around her shoulders. Sveta made no protest and the Venus Adept actually felt her clutch at his shirt as she turned her head to bury it against his chest.

They had stayed like that until Belinsk vanished from their sight, disappearing into the darkness that readily consumed it.

Sveta looked much better than she did that night. Indeed, Eoleo had been the first to comment that she looked as if nothing had happened at all when, after sealing herself in a room for a lengthy amount of time, she had finally gone out to greet them all one morning.

This was the Sveta that Matthew had quickly gotten used to. Just like when they first met, Sveta stood calm and composed in front of him, any trace of her torment and hysteria having completely and utterly vanished. When they had left Belinsk and sailed further away from the Grave Eclipse's influence, Matthew hoped that her erratic Spirit Sense would be put to rest. Apparently it did.

But just like when she had been calm upon meeting strangers, she had been shy. Despite the smile that she now gave him, Matthew noticed how shy or rather…uncertain it was.

He was happy to see her well nonetheless. Offering a smile in return, Matthew finally greeted her. "Hello, Sveta." And soon he found that he himself with plagued with a sense of uncertainty as to her health. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I actually met Rief down below and asked him to look at my arm. He said that it was fine and you did a good job healing it."

_So Rief's out and about too. _Out loud Matthew said, with his smile still in place, "He gives me too much credit I think."

Sveta chuckled lightly. "I disagree. Speaking of which…" One hand reaching behind her back, Sveta retrieved a cloth that she had apparently carried out here. A long, yellow cloth. "I wanted to give you this back."

"My scarf!" His smile widening, Matthew reached out a hand as Sveta approached. "Thank you. It was the best that I can do considering the circumstances but I'm glad to see that it held up for...you…"

Matthew's voice trailed off. Instead of handing him his scarf, Sveta had ignored his outstretched hand and, upon stepping closer, she reached up and started placing his scarf back around his neck herself. Stunned, Matthew said and did nothing, letting her do as she wished while he stared at her face, looking for…something. A hint of any lingering sadness that she may feel about what happened, perhaps. Despair at the fate of her home? Of Volechek?

Matthew also sought for any signs of anger or hate as well whether it be for the likes of Blados or Chalice…or him; the ones who had been responsible.

But Sveta displayed no such emotions. Her face a mask of calm, the only thing that Sveta allowed herself to show were slightly narrowed eyes as she concentrated on carefully looping and tying the scarf around Matthew's neck. At one point their noses came close to touching but neither she nor him made any sign of noticing…or doing anything about it. With one more loop, Sveta gave it a quick tug and Matthew felt his scarf rest comfortably around his neck.

"Thanks."

But despite the finished task, Sveta didn't let go. Instead, with one hand gripping the scarf, she used her other hand to slowly run across the fabric. At this strange display and the closeness that he was only now noticing between the two of them, Matthew couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably.

"This scarf…" Sveta started. "It's important to you." She looked up from the scarf to him. "It has some sort of value to you?"

Matthew blinked in surprise but slowly nodded. "Yeah, it was my dad's. It was the same scarf that he wore when he went on his quest to light the Elemental Lighthouses."

"Yes, the Warriors of Vale." Sveta nodded and a small, sad smile appeared on her face. "My father used to tell stories to me and Volechek about them. Even said how he had met them before."

Upon speaking the name of her brother, Matthew fidgeted again as he examined her face, wondering if this would break through her calm. But again, there was no anger or overwhelming sorrow that clouded over Sveta. When her eyes glanced down, however, he did manage to see some sadness but nothing compared to what had caused her to break down at Belinsk. Following her gaze, Matthew saw that she was looking at the blue orb that he still had in his hands.

"You can have this back," Matthew offered as he held the orb to her. "Your brother gave it to you."

"I do not even know what it is," Sveta replied but nonetheless reached out and carefully took the orb from his hands. "Have you managed to figure out what it is?"

Matthew shook his head. "We're pretty much still at Kraden's 'ancient and valuable' designation for it which doesn't exactly say much."

"I see." Lifting up the orb to her face, Sveta examined it carefully. "Volechek said that he hopes it can be used as a weapon against the Tuaparang." Her ears lowered slightly and she sighed. "I'm tired of weapons. I just want this to help end the Grave Eclipse."

"It could very well be such a thing," Matthew quickly assured. "Not all of the Alchemy Machines that we've started back up are anything like the Dynamo. In Passaj there was the Alchemy Forge while there was the Alchemy Well in Ayuthay. When we started both of them up we were able to create lush, fertile land out of more arid conditions."

"That is reassuring. I hope that the reason someone like Blados had this was so that no one could use it to stop the Grave Eclipse."

"I would like to think so." As reassuring as he hoped to have sounded, however, Matthew couldn't help but feel a hint of doubt. One of the reasons they had come to this current situation was because the agents Blados and Chalis had always been two steps ahead of them. Whenever they thought they were ahead they would soon be proven wrong as all they had done was do exactly as the Tuaparang agents wanted them to do.

Were they somehow luring them into another trap?

"Had your parents ever made a mistake?"

Matthew looked at Sveta curiously. "Hm?"

"A mistake." Still holding the orb protectively, Sveta stepped to Matthew's side near the edge of the ship to look out at the expansive ocean. "My father had liked to talk about how powerful and amazing they were just like everybody else. But I'm just wondering if they ever made mistakes."

Matthew shrugged. "Yeah, they've made mistakes. One of the first things that my dad made sure to tell me was that he was trying to _prevent_ the lighting of the Lighthouses."

Sveta looked at him in slight surprise. "But I thought they did light them!"

"They did, but they hadn't been before. They had thought that they were going to save the world by making sure that they stay unlit; they didn't know that Weyard would continue to destroy itself if they remained unlit." Crossing his arms, Matthew rested them on the railing of the ship and placed his chin upon them. "That was one of my dad's greatest regrets, especially since he killed two people that were trying to save the world. Ever heard of Prox?"

"I have heard of it."

"Two villagers of Prox named Saturos and Menardi had started the whole thing. Knowing that the world was dying and that Prox was going to be next to be destroyed, they had taken the Elemental Stars and were using them to light the Lighthouses. They managed to light the Mercury and Venus Lighthouses before my dad killed them. He didn't know that they were saving the world, not until later, and he still regrets having not known the full story beforehand. Instead of being evil as was originally thought, Saturos and Menardi had just been trying to save their village and, in extension, the world."

For a moment Matthew remembered when he, Karis, and Tyrell had went to the Psynergy Training Grounds where they "followed in the footsteps" of the Warriors of Vale. The training grounds being a retelling of the adventures of Isaac and the others, Matthew remembered jumping and running through the obstacle course before reaching the ends of each section. Two of those sections involved crudely drawn pictures of Saturos and Menardi that Tyrell had burned with fireballs in order for them to "win". Knowing the full story behind the two Mars Adepts, Matthew couldn't imagine the amount of regret that his father had felt upon doing the actual deed when just burning the pictures had made Matthew feel bad.

"I see," Sveta spoke, her eyes having grown slightly larger at the story. Looking down at the orb in her hands, the beastgirl caressed the smooth, blue service.

Matthew waited for her to say more but, when she continued to stare at the orb, he thought the conversation to be over. Wondering why she brought up his parents, Matthew refocused his gaze upon the vast ocean, his eyes staring at the horizon. A thought suddenly coming to him, Matthew stood up and looked in the opposite direction.

There it was. Though ahead of the ship there was a clear horizon with a sun hovering above, behind the ship the blue skies were dark and a fog blanketed the entire area. That was the affect of the Grave Eclipse and, if Kraden was to be believed, it was slowly spreading. They were safe now but who knew how long it would take before the Grave Eclipse would encompass the entire world.

"But they fixed it."

"What?" Turning away from the dark horizon, Matthew looked to Sveta.

"They fixed it." Sveta was also looking at Matthew and a thoughtful expression had come across her face. "They tried to stop the Lighthouses but when they learned the full story they had lit the Jupiter and Mars Lighthouses, saving the world."

"They did," Matthew agreed though, again, he wasn't sure what she was getting it.

"We made a mistake," Sveta explained and she waved a hand to the distant darkness of the Grave Eclipse. "We started the Eclipse but we will fix it. We'll find a way to stop it."

Matthew looked at her dubiously at first but quickly understood what she was saying. Perhaps it was he understood or rather the confidence that Sveta now exuded, but Matthew couldn't help but smile and nod his head. "Yeah, we'll fix it."

Smiling, Sveta held out the blue orb towards Matthew. "For my brother."

Matthew had started to reach for the orb but, upon hearing those words, he stopped. Staring at the blue orb, Matthew sighed, dropping his hand to his side which caused Sveta to frown. "What's wrong?"

"Sveta…I…" Matthew started slowly, unable to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry. About Volechek and…everything. I know you wanted to help us and that we could help you but I'm sorry about all that we caused to you. You have every right to blame me."

"Matthew…" Sveta shook her head, her hand still holding out the orb to him. "I do not blame you. What happened was not your fault. I have accepted that my brother's fears had allowed him to be tricked by Blados and Charis. If there is anyone that is at fault, it is not you. I do not hold anything against you. I know that you have a kind heart and that you will do all that you can to make this right."

She stretched her hand out further, bringing the orb closer. "And I know I can trust you with this."

Relief and shock made Matthew speechless. Unable to say anything, the Venus Adept just took the orb from Sveta and held it before him.

This orb could either destroy the world or save it; how he felt so certain now he wasn't sure but he knew that this orb would be the turning point to what was to come. And what, exactly, was to come was something he did not know either. But he could feel confident in something else.

"Thank you Sveta," Matthew spoke as he placed the orb in his pouch. "I won't betray your trust. I'll do whatever I can in order to fix this."

"I would not expect anything less," Sveta replied with a smile.

_I can be confident that she will be there to help,_ Matthew thought as he turned to gaze at the horizon with the Jupiter Adept. _I can be confident that everyone will be by my side to fix this._

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**Author's Note:** Well now that I managed to complete this piece of work, does this mean I'm going to try and get more into fanfiction? I might. At the very least I do expect to get another fanfic up sometime in the near future. A oneshot to be specific that involves Isaac and the rest of the old crew. I actually wrote quite a bit of it in my notebook during my college courses; I just need to actually get around and type it all up and finish it.

Until then, however, hope you enjoyed this fic! For something that I felt like writing after so many years of , I'm happy with the results. Hopefully you all feel the same way. If you like what you saw, drop a good review if you want and keep a lookout for whatever else I might decide to throw out on the site!


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